The Bug, The Fox and The Hare
by Emmerlaus
Summary: Its a story about Naruto being in Team 8... It will have a huge impact on each members. (HIATUS)
1. Chapter 1  Introduction

I have to say that I dont own the rights of the story:

The original author of the Naruto serie is Masashi Kishimoto

I have to mention something else: English is not my first language and its also my first try making a english fanfic …

**O0o0o**

**Chapter One**

Iruka finally woken up, the upper of his body covered with bandage… The room was so bright that he closed his eyes again. The last thing he remembered was doing a brief report to the ninjas that found him and Naruto before passing away. Naruto…

He tried to sit on his bed but flinched because of the pain. Looking around, he saw on the desk next to him a piles of clothes and two letters.

"Hummm"…

Just by looking at them, he knew right away who the senders were. He decided to read the first one, an unfolded piece of paper with Naruto's handwritting on it. It wasn't a long one, the only thing it was written was :

_**You better heal quickly or I will just die in boredom looking after you at the hospital. Oh, and sensei… thanks again… Naruto**_

That made him smile for a second or two. But his attention rapidly focused on the second letter, the one with the Third Hokage's seal on it. This one wasn't long either. It was just said to come back as soon as his conditions allowed him for his report… as well as for the team assignation. He slowly began to understand the meaning of this. After a moment, he tried to get up. Ignoring the slight pain, he began to dress up and ignored the nurse when she told him he didn't completely recover yet. The letter in hand, he presented himself at the Hokage Tower and asked to speak with the Hokage. He didn't wait long, much to his surprise. Once he opened the door, he saw the Third Hokage, who was stretching himself, a big pile of documents in front of him.

"Come in Iruka… I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

"More or less," he answered. "Thank you for your time."

"Well you probably know why you are here, so do you mind if we get to the point? I would like to do the Team assignation as soon as possible… and I understand there's a graduated that did not appear on our list," said the Hokage with a wink.

Iruka sighed with relief. He was thinking that maybe Naruto wouldn't have been accepted as it wasn't an official exam. The Third Hokage chuckled briefly before continuing :

"I also want to know from your mouth what happened with the Mizuki case. I didnt want to put Naruto in a team before that. So, go on, tell me…"

After Iruka finished, the third Hokage rose up and walk to the window :

"Humm… All right Iruka. I will be frank with you. As you know, there's is going to be one two-cell team since the numbers of genin who passed. Naruto would definitely have a place in that team since it's a common thing to put the student with the worst grades at the Academy with the one with the higher grade."

"You are talking about Uchiha Sasuke right?"

He turned to look at him. "Exactly. But there's a fact I wanted to consider. Most of the ninjas have families that teach them unique technique from their clans. But not the orphans… Even if we find them a good teacher, most of them will feel lonely and their heart may go astray. If the teacher is concentrating too much on him, there's also a chance jealousy and favoritism will occur. The risk is higher with more than one orphan in the team since the teacher will have to put twice the effort."

"I understand Sarutobi, but the teams were already made. Changing that mean put another member with Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura Haruno.

Iruka changed position in his seat, as he was beginning to feel again the pain in his back. "You wanted Naruto to be switched which whom exactly?"

After a pause, The third Hokage answered, "I was thinking about Kiba Inuzuka's place in Team 8."

Iruka was so surprise that he must have jumped on his seat, the pain in his back increasing. He couldn't stop a moan before continuing. "Are you sure? I did this arrangement because those three are very well adapted for a reconnaissance team."

"That is very true… However, tell me, does Hinata Hyuga or Aburame Shino have a lot of friends in their school?"

Iruka frowned. He finally sighed before saying, "I understand. You are saying this loneliness could make them connect better with each other?"

"Exactly. And don't you think that Kurenai could maybe bring the energy he putted at putting clever pranks and tricks to a better use? You know what she's capable of and you know Naruto more than any other teacher… Honestly, that's why I wanted your opinion here today."

Iruka crossed his arms and thought about it for a second. He knew Kurenai and understood quite well what the Third Hokage meant. "I understand your reason. I do agree it would also make a good match. Shino was the second best after Sasuke and Hinata is a good child. So if you think Kurenai is willing to take Naruto…"

"I know she has no animosity against the child, don't worry Iruka. I may be getting ahead of myself but as I know her, I don't think there will be a problem."

Sarutobi returned to his deck and say, "The team assignation will be tomorrow then, as scheduled. Don't tell the boy before that and return to the hospital. I heard you only needed one last treatment but still, take it easy ok?"

He said that with a smile and returned to his work. Iruka saluted the Hokage and returned at the hospital. In conclusion, he was very happy with The third Hokage decision. He hoped he could hold his tongue if Naruto showed up…

**O0o0o0**

Kurenai was finally enjoying some free time with Asuma. They wanted to enjoy the time being, knowing too well those moments were soon to end with the coming of the team assignation tomorrow. Asuma insisted to make the dinner and was determined to make the best chili Kurenai ever ate before. She looked briefly at him before returning to the book she was reading. The weather was perfect and the chime at her window was singing a beautiful song. She was definitely happy today… little did she know this happiness was going to be compromise by a little knock on the door. As she responded, she recognized one of the third Hokage's henchmen and greeted him with a smile. "Hi, may I help you?"

"Sorry to disturb you but the Third Hokage would like to see you in one hour."

Great… Being summoned by the Third on her day off wasn't really what she was hoping for the day. With a little sigh, she nodded and saluted the messenger. Even the best meal in the world wont taste as good now… Well, she's was used to it anyway. She just hoped it wouldn't take long….

**O0o0o0**

"Well I don't have any problems with it but are you sure?"

"I already explained my point to you Kurenai… I know you can do it."

She sighed. "Fine but for that, I would like to have his academy result, his profile, any information you could give me. You know that I want to be prepared in advance."

"Thank you Kurenai. I already prepared the information that you need."

As the Third Hokage was handling those folders to her, he said, "I'm sure that you will be able to connect with the boy. I trust you Kurenai."

Even if she was a little annoyed at the extra work given to her on her free day, the warmth from the Third touched her. With a faint smile, she answered, "Don't worry, I should be ok… If there's anything, I will report to you back, promise."

**O0o0o0**

What she found in those folders was… disturbing. While admitting that his abilities and strengths on the terrain were promising for a reconnaissance team, his profile was telling otherwise. He wasn't especially smart, easily fooled and hyperactive… While she was surprise the boy could produce Mass Kage Bushin, she still wondered what Sarutobi intention was…

Asuma sat right next to her, holding to glass full with fresh orange juice. "With lots of pulp, just how you like it."

"Thanks," she mumbled.

Having heard the whole story when she came back, he asked her, " I bet you're wondering what you're going to do with the little clown, right? "

"It's not that hard to tell… Well, what would you do in this case?"

He looked right in her eyes and said, "That kid never knew his parents and is hated by everyone… You sure you don't know where to start?"

Kurenai paused before answering, "You're right… I'm guessing he hoped the boy would see me as a mother figure. He definitely needs one."

"See, you already knew the answer… You are also a psychological genius, I'm sure you will tame him in no time. "

Sighing, she answered, "I was really glad to have only one person with social issues to deal with this year."

"Ah, you mean the Hyuga girl again? She's only shy, it's not a big deal-"

-"No silly, I meant you!"

Asuma laughed. After a long moment, he turned his face to make her look in her eyes and said, "Lets promise something... Once our genins have become chuunin, let's try to make our own family... What do you think?"

Kurenaï blushed… and then said :

"You already spoken about this to your father haven't you?

"Hahaha, I'm that readable?"

"YOU ! I …you're so… !"

She didn't finish her sentence. Curse the Sarutobi family… She was never able to resist them…

**AUTHORS NOTES:**

I know the concept of Naruto being is Team 8 have been done already BUT I wasnt satisfied by any version I saw from it... Either they didnt make the original characters belivable, became way too deviant of Naruto world or they were taking directions I dont think they would do. A friend of mine suggested I write a fanfic myself with that concept since he liked my ideas.

I write for my own satisfaction first. I dont mind if my stories dont connect with everybody. If you dont like what I write, you can tell me, I wont mind... as long as you stay polite.

I can recognize a mistake, even my own, if we point me where I overlooked. If something need to be changed, just tell me.


	2. Chapter 2 Team Assignation and Training

I have to say that I dont own the rights of the story:

The original author of the Naruto serie is Masashi Kishimoto

I have to mention something else: English is not my first language and its also my first try making a english fanfic …

_**Oo0o0o**  
><em>

Waving goodbye, Naruto left Konohamaru to his games and set off for the Academy. He just couldn't stop grinning all the time and couldn't wait to get to know his futures teammates. He really hoped to be with Sakura. The other one could be anybody, he didn't really care…

… or so he thought. However, when Sakura entered the room and pushed him over to talk to Sasuke, he really got steamed up. He stood up on the desk, two inches from Sasuke's face, letting him feel his anger and jealousy toward him. But the next thing he knew, someone bumped into him from behind and end up… KISSING SASUKE !

He didn't know what worse… the kissing itself or the beating he received from Sasuke's fan club.

Finally, Iruka entered and begin the explications. Naruto didnt listen until he reached the team assignation part.

"...I won't be your teacher anymore," Iruka continued, "but feel free to come see me during your free time. Now, let's get to the assignment of the teams. Once named, you can go to the cafeteria to your assigned table or go outside for lunch. Just don't forget to get back to this class after the break to meet with your sensei."

Naruto crossed his fingers.

"Alright, now, team Seven : Kiba Inuzuka… Sakura Haruno… Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto sunk down onto his desk. Not only he did not team up with Sakura, but seeing her so obviously happy about the match-up hurted even more. At that moment, he heard his name and listened back to Iruka:

"Team 8… Naruto Uzumaki, Shino Uburame, Hinata Hyuga. "

Naruto couldn't help but frown. He knew a little bit about those two, but didn't speak or play with them much. However, his thoughts were distracted as he watched Team 7 walking outside the room. He sighed as he got up… might as well get something to eat and meet his new teammates. As he made his way to the cafeteria, two things suddenly asked for his attention in the same time:

The first thing was his name, said by the voice of a girl behind him. He was about to meet her lavender eyes but the second thing that wanted his attention was way more insisting...

He had to go to the bathroom… **AND FAST!**

**O0o0o00**

Hinata was eating her bento near Shino on a bench near the school. They both ate in silence but Hinata looked sad. She couldn't help but thinking it was her fault.

"Did I do something wrong ?" she asked herself. "Naruto fled as soon as I tried talking to him. I hope he doesn't hate me… "

… and so on. After he finished his bento, Shino coughed to draw her attention.

"With such an expression Hinata, I'm beginning to worry you don't want to eat with me."

Hinata blushed. " No, not at all ! I was glad to eat with you! I was just... I was worrying about why Naruto-kun ran off like that."

"Hinata, if you had thinking more logically about this, you would probably see that his body language was telling quite a lot. Why do you ask? Because Naruto was holding his stomach with both hands and runing off in the direction of the closest bathroom. We could safely assume that he's sick."

Surprised, Hinata looked at Shino. " Oh!," she said, turning a bit red, " Thank you Shino! You are right, maybe I was worrying too much."

_From now on, we will have lots of time together,_ she thought.

She finally had a faint smile. Even if Shino didn't show it, he was glad to see his teammate looking more cheerful.

**Oo0o0o**

The day was over and except for Naruto, Team 8 meet their sensei. She didn't do much expect introduce herself and tell them to meet up with her at two o'clock in the afternoon. Kurenai also went to check with the Hokage at Naruto's house but he wasn't there. She didn't like what she saw… The boy didn't have much in his fridge, didn't have a lot of medicine in the medicine cabinet in his bathroom and the room was a mess. And from what she heard from his teammates, he was probably sick.

_No wonder,_ she thought, _the milk he left on the table was expired a long time ago._

She left him a note on his bed as well as medicine she bought for him. She also went as far as buying him some fresh milk and a few fresh fruit that she putted in his fridge as well as some healthy cereals on his table.

_I will have to lecture him about taking care of his own health..._

Kurenai smile faintly to this idea. On that topic, Kurenai wasnt better then Naruto she she had his age...

**Oo0o0o**

Naruto had come back to his room at the end of the afternoon. When he saw the cereal boxes on his table, he frozen. He looked around to see if there was something else that wasnt supposed to be there and saw there was something on his bed. He _slowly_ turned around his table, looking at the cereal boxes like if it was a _explosive tag_ ready to explose and reached the memo...

**To Naruto,**

**Because your teammates told me you were sick, I went to your home to present myself to you but you weren't there either. I decided to give you a few things so you can have a healthy breakfast tomorrow morning. In exchange for the gifts, please be at the team 8 rendezvous point at the Training ground #12. Don't be late...**

**And don't forget to take the medicine, it will help you feel better.**

**Your sensei, Kurenai**

Naruto read the letter twice to be sure and looked around. "The gifts, huh?" Trusting his instincts, he went _slowly_ to the fridge again and saw the fruits and fresh milk given by his teacher. He finally realized there was nothing to be worried about. "Whoa, I do have a nice sensei ! I will have to thank her tommorow."

His stomach grumping, he decided to take the medecine quickly. He went to bed early that night and had a pleasant dream about Sasuke becoming blind because of his overexposition to his pure awesomeness...

**O0o0o**

Naruto arrived last at the meeting point. He was glad to see his sensei looked so pretty and nice. Grinning, he run and sat between Shino and Hinata. "Hey everyone!" he began, "Thanks again for the food and medicine yesterday, I feel a lot better now!"

"I'm glad to hear it Naruto. Now let us begin," answered Kurenai.

She crossed her arms before continuing:

"I want each of you to say hello to your fellow teammates and tell us about yourself. You can tell us about things you like, things you dislike, yourdreams for your future or other things you want to share with us. Now, Hinata, please begin. "

That made Hinata look at the ground. "I... Im Hinata Hyuga. I like pressing flowers and cooking. And.. I would like to become better so that my father could be proud of me. I want to be acknowledged by him... and... by somebody else"

Naruto listened Hinata and couldn't help but smile when she finished. Then he put in hand in the air vigorously, proclaiming, " My turn, my turn ! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, especially those of Ichiraku shop. I don't like to wait the five minutes before a ramen cup is ready to eat and I want to be acknowledged ! Someday, I will become Hokage and everyone will have to acknowledged my existence and respect me."

Kurenai chuckled. As her attention went back to Shino, he began to talk. "I am Shino, from the Abarume clan. I like entomology and I don't like when people kill insects just because they don't like them. I want to make my clan proud of me and to become a great ninja."

_So the three of them want to be acknowledged... It's as I have suspected_, thought Kurenai. Before she could say a word, Naruto begin to speak.

"Euh, Shino, what is... en-to-mo-lo-gy... Does it taste good? "

Shino turned his head to look at Naruto. "It's the study of insects."

"WHAT!" Naruto shouted. "You mean you eat INSECTS? That's awful! I wouldn't eat bugs even if my life was depending on it!"

Hinata didn't want them to fight so she tried to explain, "Na- Naruto... it means he like to collect insects so he can study them-"

"Huh? You mean if a spider was to drop by, he would try to catch it?

"Naruto, I will explain it to you," said Shino, "so listen. Even if entomology include the collecting and the study of the insect, it's not only resumed to that. Entomology is a branch of zoology that include the observation, examination, study, and sometimes dissection of the insects-"

Naruto tried to listen but that guy speech was A LOT more complicated then what he bargained for:

"-and finally, spiders are not insects, Naruto. They are arachnids, which is completely different. Would you like me to explain to you the difference between insects and arachnids?

"NO!" Naruto shouted, not wanting to be here forever. Then he thought better and added, "Huh, I mean, thanks Shino for explaining but I... I think I get it," with an obviously forced smile.

Kurenai slapped her hand together to catch their attention:

"Well I think it's about time I do the same, don't you think? My name is Kurenai Yūhi but you can call me Kurenai-sensei. I like picnicking when the sakura trees are in bloom and I don't like when someone doubt my skills as a ninja. Now, let's get on with the main reason you are all here today... Tomorrow morning, we will have our first mission so I want you to all presentyourself at seven o'clock at the Hokage tower. For this afternoon however, I planned a special training. Now, Naruto, could you please show us the new jutsu you have learned and make two clones of yourself that will brawl with Hinata and Shino?"

Shino and Hinata, who knew about Naruto difficulty to produce clones in class, were surprise to see Naruto use Kage Bushin to make two perfect copies of himself. And most of all, they were independent of Naruto!

"Ok now, the four of you go train together while I speak with Naruto of something"

As the copies of Naruto and the two other genins were brawling, Kurenai took him aside and sat on the ground and asked Naruto to do the same. Once he did, the lesson began.

"Now Naruto, I heard you learned the Kage Bushin technique from a scroll. Do you know what that technique was use for in origin?"

Naruto looked completely clueless so she continued:

"For reconnaissance and spying. I suspected you didn't know that much so I'm gonna teach you today how to use your clones effectively. When you use your clone, all experience and knowledge the clones gained are transferred to the original owner. Do you get what I mean?"

"Not really," answered Naruto.

Kurenai sighed. "Ok then Naruto, wait here and don't move from that spot, I will make a good example for you."

Kurenai rose up and when to her other genins. "Everyone, so how it is? Who won the most matches so far?

"I believe it was me, teacher," Shino said, "As the score is 3 to 1 in my favor."

"And for you Hinata?" asked Kurenai.

"Humm... It's a draw. We both made 2 points."

The two clones weren't really happy about this. The one facing Shino was particularly upset.

"Ok, I have something to say to both Narutos. It's a secret so come here you two."

Kurenai then whispered to their ears that if one of them manage to have a higher score then either Hinata of Shino when she come back, she's was going to treat them to Ichiraky Ramen. The clones began to smirk to this idea and she could saw they were getting primed.

"Now, Shino, Hinata, I also have a secret to tell you, come here". She also whispered something to them before going back to the original Naruto. As she left, the Naruto Clones were fighting with even more spirit then before.

Naruto was looking the whole time and wondered what happened. When Kurenai came back, she just asked Naruto to not look at the brawling no matter what. Once he turned around, she shouted, "NOW!"

And then, from Shino sleeves, a cloud of kekkai bugs rushed on the clone in front of him while Hinata Jyukken pierced through the other clone. Both of them disappeared with a puff of white smoke.

Naruto yelled and couldn't help turning around, "Hey it's not fair, they cheated!

"How could you know if you were not facing them?"

Naruto suddenly realized she was right! He could remember all the brawling and how the bugs and Jyukken pierced right through his clones.

"Hinata, Shino, come here."

When the three of them were together, she explained herself. "Now, I'm going to teach you why you three were chosen to be teamed together. We wanted to make a team who would be good on reconnaissance and spying. The Abarume Clan always been famous in both and Hinata's Byakugan will be obviously useful for this. As for Naruto, his Shadow Clones can give their experience and knowledge to their original owner and are often used as scout and spy by their users for that matter. I wanted you three to learn what each other's skills and abilities so you can work better as a team when the time come. That was the true purpose of this training.

Then she looked directly at Naruto, "So Naruto, were one of your clone able to beat your opponent's scores?"

Naruto realized then the clones didn't beat them. With a grumpy look, he shook his head.

Kurenai chuckled and said. "Well it's ok... Once the training is over, I will treat you all to Ichiraku ramen shop if you want."

Naruto changed attitude completely and looked overjoyed. She noticed Hinata began to smile again when she watched Naruto looking so happy. Shino then asked a question. "What will be the rest of the training, Sensei?

"It will be mostly stamina training. As a matter of fact, all of you will follow me to the track field. Once we are done, we will all go to the hot spring to refresh ourselves and after that, we will go to Ichiraku ramen shop."

The three genin were really happy to have such a teacher...

**Author's notes:**

With a different teachers, I wanted Naruto to at least learn he can use his clones to spy. That will make him slightly more effective... You will see what I mean later ;)

SPOILERS: With a teacher like Kurenai, you better expect a slightly different

Naruto in the future... And with him on the team, nothing will be the same for

his teammates either... "smiking"

Can someone find the movie reference I made in this chapter? ;)

I know there wasn't any real fight but I do want to write a BIG one for next chapter so look forward to it.

I appreciated your comments and reviews, it really motivate me.


	3. Chapter 3  First Mission C part ONE

I have to say that I don't own the rights of the story:  
>The original author of the Naruto series is Masashi Kishimoto<p>

Also, Im not making any profit of this fanfic.  
>I have to mention something else: English is not my first language and it's also my first try making a English fanfic<p>

**_SPECIAL NOTICE:_**

Im planning all kind of surprises on this chapter and the next one. Dont stop reading if you dont like one of them, you might regret it, trust me...

**Oo0o0o**

_Chapter Three_ (First Mission C - part ONE)  
><em><br>_  
>After the training, Kurenai goal to create bonds within the group went well. She feared at first that Shino wouldn't be able to fit well with Naruto but it went better then she first thought. Naruto energy seemed contagious, as Shino and Hinata spoke more than normally.<p>

The next morning, they were all waiting for her. She was delighted to see her three genins were having a conversation about what to expect in their first mission. After seeing Hinata family, two days ago, she was glad to see she will be able to connect with Naruto. Those two will be good friends...

_And maybe even a bit more, _thought Kurenai. _We will just have to wait and see._  
><em><br>_  
>Their first mission assigned was to catch the cat of the Fire Lord's wife. It went extremely well, the poor cat didn't have any chance against those three. They even had the time to come back to the Hokage Tower and ask for another one. Kurenai soon realized Naruto's Shadow Clones were definitely an asset for Rank-D mission, as in was making the team finish their tasks much faster. One day, they were even able to make four missions! Even the Hokage was really impressed by it.<p>

But it was obliviously a matter of times before Naruto complained to her about the missions given to them.

"Those missions are ridiculous!" Naruto whined one day. "Why couldn't we something more challenging? Something worthy of my great skills as a ninja?"

Inwardly, Kurenai cringed. She knew Naruto wanted to do more exciting missions, but she really wished that he had more sense than to act like a brat before the Third Lord. "For starters, Naruto, it is up to me to decide what kind of missions the team does. If you want more improtant ones, then you should talk to your teammates in privet, and then, if they agree, ask me."

To her surprise, Shina spoke up. "Sensei, not to usurp authority, but Naruto-San may have a point. It has been two weeks since our first mission, and we have trained and worked continually to improve. Logically, we should take more difficulty missions to in turn push ourselves further."

Naruto grinned. "See, Shino thinks like me!"

Shino visibly flinched at Naruto's remark. "I stated a point that was worked off of yours," he said coolly, "That means we are in agreement. It does not mean we think alike." Then Shino added, under his breath, "God forbid we ever do."

"Say, what's wrong with you thinkin' like me?" Naruto demanded.

As Shino explained how he thinks logically while Naruto thinks emotionally and how Shino does not ever want to be an emotional thinker like Naruto, Kurenai noticed Hinata look uncomfortable with the topic. _Hmm…_

The Hokage chuckled as Naruto tried to argue with his male teammate. After a pause, The Hokage asked, "Kurenai, I do have a rank C mission that can be fitting your team. Do you think they are ready?"

Naruto spoke up. "Of course we-!"

Cue to Kurenai hosting him off the ground by his collar of his jacket, forcing him to look into her strange, red eyes. "The Hokage was talking to me, Naruto. I just told you that I'm the one who will decide what Missions our team does. Unless you'd like to spend the next few days studying ethics and manners rather than learning how to be a better ninja, _zip _your howling screamer."

The perspective of those lessons and the VERY scary look in his sensei eye's convinced Naruto he should hold his tongue for now. He nodded after gulping.

Dropping Naruto painfully on his butt, Kurenai turned to the Hokage. "They might be prepared for it," she answered, "depending of the mission. Can you tell me the details about it?"

"Of course! A village in our territory keeps having their vegetables stolen from them at night. Since they couldn't find the thieves, the farmers want someone to investigate what is happening and find the culprits"

Kurenai thought for second and looked at her team. She finally nodded and agreed. Naruto was filled with joy about this. Shino was the same as always but he was looking discreetly at Hinata, who seemed worry behind her faint smile.

Once outside the Hokage Tower, Kurenai led Naruto away from the others, and spoke to him. "Naruto, if you have a problem with me, come and talk to me about **first**. I'm sure we can work something out if you do that. What you just did was questioning my judgment in front of others and I don't like that at all. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded.

She continued. "And you were lucky that Shino was thinking the same as you do but Hinata didn't say a word about it and didn't look happy by all this, did she?

"Huh?" Naruto said, titling his head, "I don't understand Kurenai-sensei, Hinata is super strong-"

"That's not the point Naruto. If you had thought a little more about your teammates, you would have talked about it with them first. Hinata and Shino are not as outspoken then you so it's your job to talk to them and try to understand how they feel. If you overlook their feelings, you might lose their trust or their friendship..."

From Naruto facial expression, she knew she had gotten the point across. He nodded and became very serious. "I understand Kurenai-sensei. I will try to be more careful from now on."

Kurenai sighed in relief. "I'm glad you understand. Now, I have to give you all a briefing, let's go back together."

Kurenai explained they were going to travel for about 4-to-5 days for their mission and to needed to prepare accordingly. They'd have to meet at the Southern Gate in two hours. What Kurenai didn't tell her student is that she was supposed to have a special date with Asuma tonight. She had to make a detour to his house to left a note explaining the new events before going to the rendezvous point.

On the first day of travel, once they had stop for lunch, Kurenai made an announcement. "During our travels, I will teach you about chakra control. First off, I will teach you how to climb to trees once we are done with lunch. If you do well, it may increase our traveling pace."

Once she showed them how it should be done, she sat back and watched them. Thanks to her training from the Hyuga Clan, Hinata was clearly the best at chakra control. Soon, she climbed all the way to the top of her tree.

"Wow, Hinata, that's awesome," said Naruto, making her blushing.

He and Shino, however, seemed to be having more difficulty at the exercise. Naruto couldn't help but watch as Shino slowly progressed.

_Naruto begin to see Shino as a potential rival_, thought Kurenai with a smile. _It's not really a bad thing, as long it's a friendly one_.

Soon, she decided that was enough and to start walking again. The On the fifth day of travel, the three of them finally were able to climb trees without problems. She explained that since they have no difficulty with this exercise, they could jump from trees to trees. Not only was it faster but it was also more stealthy then walking on the main road. Naruto did want to try it...but soon, the forest ended and was replaced by a giant plain. They could even see the village where they were supposed to head.  
>"Don't worry Naruto, you will be able to try it once we go back to the Leaf Village," said Hinata to comfort him.<br>"Everyone," said Shino, "we should focus on the field now that we are close to the village. In fact, I'm hearing a weird sound coming from the field at 4 o'clock."  
>Everyone stopped immediately and her genins begin to focus.<p>

Kurenai resisted the urge to smile at their reaction. _I think I know what the source of the noise is but let see how they handled this_, she thought.

Now that they stopped talking, they heard the faint sound Shino was talking about.  
>"I-I'll check it out," said Hinata. "BYAKUGAN!"<br>After a few seconds, she let a surprised sound and rushed to the border of the forest.  
>"H-Hey, Hinata, wait for us!" Naruto shouted, jumping after her, the rest of the team following suit.<br>They found Hinata removing a collar from a little rabbit. The poor thing was panicked and was making sounds as it tried to escape. She took it in her arms and tried to calm it down.  
>"... A rabbit? Oh, those little guys are so dangerous," Naruto grumbled. He hoped for something more exciting.<br>Kurenai finally smiled. "Well, from his appearance, I can tell it's a domesticated bunny. It ran off far of the village, I'm sure his owner will be overjoyed that we found it. Good work you guys, now let's keep going.  
>"A-Ano" Hinata squiked. Then she added, bashfully, "Kurenai sensei, may I be the one who hold it?"<br>"You already are holding it Hinata," laughed Kurenai.

Naruto tried to pet the little bunny but it bit him. As Naruto hollered in pain and humiliation, Shino advice that he should sterilize the wound before continuing, as rabbits can be rabies carriers. To which Naruto started screaming that he had been infected with rabies.

The whole time, Hinata smiled and petted it, who seemed to accept Hinata touch.

_Hummm... Hinata may have a gift with animals, _Kurenai pondered. _She's very kind after all_.

Even as Hinata tried to comfort Naruto, he was still in a foul mood the whole time.  
>"I hope that <em>thing's<em> owner raises them so he can eat them later," the blond grumped, casting a dark look at the rabbit. "That'd teach it!"  
>"Naruto-kun! Don't say things like that, p-please!"<br>Naruto sighed, and looked at Hinata a bit guiltily. "Fine Hinata, you win. You like the little guy don't you?  
>Hinata blushed slightly and looked down. "Y-Yes. I would like to have a pet but my father wouldn't approve. He's really strict about this."<p>

_And about all the rest too,_ sadly thought Hinata.

Naruto noticed the sadness in her eyes, so he said, "I'm sorry about what I said. I'm sure his owner must be a good person, he will surely be glad to have it back."  
><em>Naruto...<em> She was glad he didn't seem mad anymore.  
>Meanwhile, Shino had a hard time concentrating... Even if he will never admit it, he wanted to pet the bunny too...<p>

**O0o0o0**

After the villagers gave them a warm welcome, they were brought to the village headman's house for a briefing. The headman explained that their vegetables had started to disappear a month ago. Once a week, the farms closest to the forest got a bit of their vegetables taken. They thought it was wild animals at first so they set up fences and a few guard dogs. But the problem wasn't solved and not long ago, they even found the dead body of one of the dogs. The cause of his death is still unknown as it doesn't have any external injury on his body and seemed healthy the day before that.

Kurenai thought for a moment before turning to her genins.

"Alright, here's the plan: Shino, you are coming with me. Hinata, try to found the owner of the little bunny. Naruto will help you with his Clones. Once this is done, you two go investigate the last farm that had their crops taken."  
>Pausing, Kurenai closed her eyes and breathed in before continuing. "If you find the sourse of the problem, contact me immediately. You must <em>NOT<em> engage the source of the problem on your own and _must_ stay together. Just try to find as much information as you can before reporting back to me. Now go!"  
>Once Hinata and Naruto left, she turned to Shino. "Could you put a tracking bug on them Shino?"<p>

He nodded and after doing so, followed his sensei to the house where the dead dog has been buried. It was near the border of the forest so it took a while to get there. The old farmer was glad to show them the grave of the dog and give them a shovel.

"My sons buried him," the elder explained. "I'd have done it myself, my back is hurting a lot because of my age. They're working on the field right now, I'm sorry we can't help you more."  
>Kurenai thanked him and the farmer went back inside. As Shino pulled up his sleeves, Kurenai stopped him. "No Shino, I will do it. Just concentrate of removing the worms and bugs of the dead body as much as you can, understand?"<br>He nodded. After his teacher unearthed the corpse, he did his job and cleared the body of any invertebrates (Kurenai called them insects, but Shino pointed out that worms and several of the creatures did not have the necessary six legs to be classified at insects) that where eating it.

Kurenai visibly shuttered at her job: dissect the body to find anomaly.

After a long while, she finally understood what was wrong. The poor dog's tongue and throat were swollen, suffocating it. It dyed from air loss.  
><em>Normally, I would say it's a death by strangulation or some other form of suffocation but there's no damage to the neck, and no indication that his mouth was covered. It could be a disease or poison.<em>

"Shino, have your bugs check to see if anything is in his lungs" she instructed. Then she shuttered as the boy held out an arm and let a line of beetles crawl down into the corpse's mouth.

Shino's eyes widen almost instantly. "There are trace residues of an organic pollutant in his lungs. It may be smoke or poison; possibly both."

Kurenai nodded: " Thanks Shino, you have been a great help."  
>Shino didn't answer immediately.<br>"I may have found a clue about how he died but it doesn't give a clue about the circumstance of his death. I assume we should, on the safe side, return to Naruto or Hinata.  
>"You are right Shino, we should head back. Let's bury him again and return to them."<br>While doing the job, Kurenai was wondering if what Shino just said was because he was concerned for his teammates.  
><em>Even for me, that boy is hard to read,<em> she thought. _I have a bad feeling however, we should regroup with Hinata and Naruto quickly..._  
>Ironically, not long after she thought that, Shino stopped. He then showed his concern, even if it was with a neutral voice. "Kurenai, something is wrong... I'm very worried about Naruto and Hinata. I placed only one tracer bug on them since they were supposed to stick together... and the hive inside me doesn't sense it anymore."<p>

Kurenai had a chill coming out of her spine...

**_Meanwhile... "dramatic music":_**

Hinata and Naruto didn't have any luck finding the rabbit owner's. The only person who claimed to be its owner was bitten by the little critter and hid behind Hinata afterwords, shaking in fear. After Naruto chased the beguiler away, they figured out they should stop looking for its owners and start the mission. After they asked for directions:  
>"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"<br>While the Clones headed for every farm that was pointed out, Naruto and Hinata went to the last one.  
>" I hope we get some butt-kicking action soon," Naruto mused aloud. "I know investigation is an important part of the ninja work but how can I prove I'm the strongest just with that?<br>Hinata sighed. "Th-That will come soon enough Naruto... You shouldn't wish for it."  
>"I know, I know," Naruto responded, "but I'm bored. We should - HUH?"<br>Without warning, the rabbit struggled out of Hinata's arms and ran in the direction of the farm like crazy. They were both surprised by the sudden reaction of the bunny... However, Naruto soon reacted with a grin.  
>"That bunny is gonna win the race if we don't hurry! C'mon!<br>"Na - Naruto-kun..."  
>But it was too late, Naruto was already running behind the rabbit. She began to run after them also, not wanting to be left behind... If she had focused more on her surrounding, maybe she wouldn't have been taking down by a surprise attack.<br>A man quickly removed her body from the road and hid her in the tall grass.

Chuckling darkly, he whispered, "This is way too easy. Too bad for you little girl, my poison is gonna kill you in a flash. And too bad for me, I don't have time to have some **_fun_** with you. See you again in the afterlife..."  
>He then rose up and went in the orange youngster's direction.<p>

**O0o0o**

Naruto arrived at the farm and looked everywhere but he lost track of the bunny:  
>"Awwww man! The bunny ran away! Bah, anyway, I guess we should focus on the mission now-" He turned around, but Hinata wasn't there. "Huh?" He putted his hand above his eyes and scanned the road, but he didn't see her anywhere. "Hinata?"<br>_She probably spotted the rabbit and is after it... I wish I had her eyes, they are so useful. Oh, I know! I will start investigating, I'm sure she will be impressed if I figure out something on my own!_  
>He then looked at the terrain at the border of the forest. There wasn't any rain lately here so it should have leaved footprints or something but there wasn't anything.<br>_Humm... I'm not very good at this. Maybe I should ask the farmers to see what happened._

Actually, at that very moment, something very rare happened to Naruto: he had a rare flash of insight!

Nobody seemed to be working on the field and the farm seemed _awfully_ quiet. Having a bad feeling he went to the main building and investigated as stealthy as he could. He then understood what was wrong when he went to the stables.

The only noise in the air was the buzzing of flys. Before even opening the door, Naruto smelled an overpowering stench. It was a sickly-sweet, metallic smell that tasted like copper and made his stomach churn. Without realizing it, Naruto began to shake. Willing himself to press on, Naruto pushed open the doors…and then wished he hadn't.

Blood pooled on the ground before him, and in a corner, corpses were stapled together. He recognized the nauseating-copper smell now, and it was so overpowering, that he doubled over and puked. He slammed the door, his heart beating like crazy...

_Hinata! I have to find her and Kurenai sensei... and fast!_

He then summoned two others Shadow Clones and was preparing to order then to find his teammates when he heard the voice.  
>"Where do you think you are going?"<br>The voice was coming from the stables roof. Standing there, grinning, was a bald ninja with a big moustache, grinning evilly:  
>"Normally, I would just kill you but I'm almost done here so I will leave my associate deal with you."<br>Suddenly, Naruto and his clones were pulled down to their waists in the dirt and couldn't move their legs. The two clones vanished in a puff of smoke. A moment later, a few large moles came out of the ground. They were wearing ninja gear and holding a huge scroll.  
>"Aden-sama, we found it and it wasn't easy, mind you!"<br>"Good boys. The master will be pleased."  
>Quick as a flash, five Narutos stood around the trapped original. While two of them removed Naruto's legs from the ground, the others snatched the scroll from the moles and kicked them hard. Much to Naurto's surprise, they vanished with a puff of smoke<br>"I don't know what happening here so unless you tell me, I won't let you have the scroll!"  
>The ninja laughed like it was a great joke. "You are a fool... not even worrying of what happened to your teammate while you were rushing over here."<br>Naruto's anger suddenly vanished, and he became pale as a ghost. "What do you mean?"  
>"I'm going down there... if you know what's good for you, you will leave the scroll and search for your friend down the road you came from before it's too late."<br>He then jumped but Naruto reacted quicker. Naruto and his clones rushed to the forest. The ninja was beginning to get upset.  
><em>You want to play that badly kid? Fine... Once we are done, I will kill you...<em>  
>Without wasting a second, he rushed after Naruto. Surprisingly enough however, he found the boy on his knees, crying. The scroll was just beside him, ready for the taking.<br>_Well that was easy... My poisonous bombs will do the trick in his state..._  
>Naruto sensed the attack coming at his back and didn't stir.<br>"Game over kiddo," said the enemy ninja, dropping the bomb...

**_Meanwhile, once again..._**

When the two clones beside Naruto vanished by the mole attacks, all the other knew in the same moment what was happening. Most of them went in search of his teammates and sensei. The one closest to the farm was lucky enough to find Hinata:  
>" HINATA !"<br>She was pale and breathing heavily. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper:  
>" Na... Naruto... where are you?"<br>Naruto took her hands, and said, voice shaking, "I'm here Hinata... Please! You'll be alright. D-Don't worry, I'm going to...I'm..."  
>He didn't know what to say. Tears began to appear and he couldn't stop them from flowing.<br>Hinata smiled faintly: "I...I wish I could have... stayed... by your side... I'm so... sorry Na..."  
>She couldn't say a other word. Her mouth dropped slowly and her chest moving air. Naruto, in panic, try to find her pulse...<p>

There wasn't one...

Something cold and dark began to fill Naruto's Clone. The clones vanished, unable to stand those emotions... as well as the original. He fell on the ground, the image of Hinata dying in his arms, the tears filling up his eyes...

_It's my fault... It's ALL my fault..._

A mix of despair and anger filled his heart. He barely sensed the poisonous smoke bomb hitting his back...

_He killed her..._

As the poison cloud of the bomb was released, something exploded inside of him...

END OF CHAPTER

**AUTHORS NOTES**

I had a hard time with Microsoft Word for this chapter...


	4. Chapter 4 First Mission C part TWO

I dont own Naruto.

**O0o0o0o**

The Bug, The Fox and the Hare / Chapter FOUR (Mission rank C, part two)

Kurenai and Shino flew through the village. Luckily, Kurenai had learned how to sense the brainwaves of those she was familiar with over a distance, allowing her to track them quickly. She knew better then to focus on Naruto; his Shadow Clones would make it all but impossible to find the right one. Hinata was her main target but she has having trouble finding her. Clearly, she shouldn't have had them look for the bunny's owner without having some way of finding them. Kurenai thought it would give them something to do while Shino and she dissected the dog (something she was sure would cause Hinata **_and _**Naruto to both faint at). But now, they could have been anywhere because of it.

They jumped on a high roof which have them a nice view over the village, hoping to spot the orange jumpsuit with a spot of purple and grey beside it.

_Maybe the bug was just squashed... why I'm so nervous about? Maybe Shino concern's got the better of me, _she began to think.

Ironically, it was at that time she and Shino sensed the catastrophe that was happening. Feeling the surge of malevolence, they turned towards it, west.

Kurenai's breath fell feeling, it was the same one she felt when...Goosebumps of fear spread across her as she shook, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Shino snapped her out of it." Kurenai- sensei, what is happening?

" Shino, you stay here... That's an order. I need to deal with it, on my own."  
>"Sensei-"<br>**_"I SAID STAY! NO ARGUING!"_**

Shino flinched... he NEVER heard his sensei scream like that. He thought he understood his sensei already, that she wasn't the type to yell, even if really angry. Up until now, he always saw her collected and in control of her emotions, something he highly respected about his sensei. It was something new for him, to see her like this.

He knew something was terribly Kurenai left, he noticed even the villagers was turning their head in that direction, looks of fear and worry spreading across their faces. The fact that he, a Genin, not trained in Chakra Sensory, could feel whatever was causing this was disturbing enough. But if civilians were feeling it, it was something else entirely. He returned his attention to the horizon, wishing it will go well…but in his gut, he dreaded that that was a false hope.

**MEANWHILE**

The cloud of poison was surrounding Naruto... but the enemy ninja could tell something was off.

_Is the wind within the woods stronger than I thought? Maybe I should summon a mole warrior, just in case..._

He was about to make the seals when suddenly, the poisonous cloud was blasted away in what seemed to be an explosion. The nin was immune to his poison, but the smoke and dust was making his eyes itches. But even blinded, he felt it; the overflowing killer instinct and an ominous chakra coming from the boy, he called the summon and stepped back, rubbing his eyes.  
><em><br>_  
><em>What the hell is going on here? <strong>What <strong>is that boy? _

The ninja couldn't believe his eyes, and neither could his summon... well, his summon was almost blind since it was a mole, but that's not the point.

The mole sensed the Naruto and said, "Ok, I can see what's going on here. I will protect you the best I can," digging underground quicker than you'd think. The bald guy didn't know what kind of jutsu that boy was using but he braced himself, preparing a substitution jutsu.

The ground around Naruto seemed to have been smashed by a giant punch. A red chakra was flowing around him and the more chakra was flowing out, stronger got the dark wind blowing from Naruto. Finally, the wind stopped; still on four legs, Naruto turned around to look at the man. The murderer flinched. The boy's eyes were blood-red and a feral looking, like a predator. With a guttural voice, surrounded by flowing red chakra going in all direction, he said the only words he wanted to say to the man.

"_You killed my friend!_"

The fight began...  
><strong><br>**  
><strong>Ooo0o<strong>

If Kurenai had used the main road, she could have seen what happened. However, no witness were near Hinata's body to hear a squeaky voice say the words, "Wind Style - Second Wind Jutsu"

After that, slowly, Hinata opened her eyes. Her head seemed heavy like a boulder and her whole body was stiff and sore. The last thing she remembered was Naruto holding her... Hinata gasped."Naruto! I forgot to tell him about the ninja! I have to find him!"

When she tried to get up, she looked around and saw he wasn't there with her. She finally sensed what was happening, not very far from there. She also saw Kurenai sensei, going in the wood ahead, not noticing her. She tried to run to her but fell on the ground. Her legs were still too stiff and she only able to walk clumsily. She was almost near the stables when she heard a big explosion. With her Byakugan, she saw a giant stalagmite jut out from the ground, only to be crushed a second later by... Naruto?

She stopped, trying to focus on what she saw. It was Naruto but the same time, it was like it wasn't him... he was surrounded by a weird chakra flow and had a scary look on his face. She couldn't believe the Naruto she knew was the same person, fighting the ninja who was in front of him.

She stopped using the Byakugan, as she wanted to save her energy and chakra. She focused on moving her legs quicker and realized they began to feel normal. Soon, she would be able over run there...

_I don't know what is happening to Naruto but I have to go help him and Kurenai! _she thought.

Behind her, hiding, a pair of eyes was watching her...  
><strong><br>**  
><strong>OoOoOo<strong>

Kurenai closed in towards the combat zone. She saw Naruto and the ninja having a heated battle but somehow, the enemy was focusing all his energy to dodge the genin's attacks. His sensei could clearly see that the man Naruto was facing was scared and barely hanging in there.

_If I stop the battle, maybe Naruto will calm down before it's too late._

She then made the seals and to snare the enemy ninja:  
>"Angelic Illusion: Dream Catcher Jutsu !"<br>It was a jutsu that makes causes the target to sleep and allows the user to see target's dreams. Obviously, she just wanted him to be out cold but it didn't go as she wanted... Walls rose out from the ground around the enemy, forming a pyramid. Kurenaï then sensed the Summon below ground level she failed to notice at first. Naruto was quicker however. When the four walls was about to come together, he jumped into to enter. She didn't know what happen in there but the pyramid soon exploded. After that, she saw Naruto on the top of the unconscious man, his now clawlike-hand raised, murder in his eyes...

"NARUTO, STOP! " Kurenai screamed.

Naruto slowly turned towards her. The anger in his red eyes seemed to slowly vanish when he saw her. Suddenly, something else caught his attention. Kurenai turned around and saw Hinata, not too far off, breathing heavily. When Naruto saw her, the red chakra disappeared. It was like time itself was frozen. They could see Naruto's eyes, filled with tears. He rose up and made a few step in Hinata's direction. Half-way, he suddenly stopped, looking at his hands and then back at the enemy. Kurenai could clearly see the panic in his eyes before turning his back and running away in the woods. She summoned a Shadow Clone to follow Naruto and then checked on the enemies. Naruto had nearly killed the man while he was under Kurenai's illusion and she couldn't sense his summon anywhere around. She returned to Hinata.

" Are you alright?"

The young girl nodded and looked towards the direction Naruto fled , asking, " Will Naruto be ok?"

Kurenai decided it was best to ignore the question for now. "Hinata, if you can, look underground with you Byakugan to see if- "

Before the young girl could do anything however, Kurenai stepped behind the girl and draw a kunai:

" I can sense your presence, show yourself!"

After a few seconds, a voice came out from behind them. "Ok, but don't attack me, I'm not your enemy."

From the bushes appeared something both of them didn't expect: it was the bunny from before!

"I'm sorry I didn't talk sooner but after what my people and I have through, we found it necessary to consider most humans untrustworthy."  
>It bowed before continuing."Thanks to you, we retrieved our summoning scroll. The mole the man summoned is gone, I can't hear it anymore so dont worry about it. I would suggest you retrieve that boy before I try to explain everything."<p>

Kurenai put back her kunai and her Shadow Clone came from the wood."He's already here."

Kurenai clone was brought over Naruto like he was a potato sack on her shoulder. He slept soundly.

"I use a Jutsu to put him to sleep. It was a hard day for him. You should bring Shino here also."

Kurenai agreed. She rose up and vanished while the clone stayed behind.

The rabbit sighed."Now, if you don't mind, I would like to wear some clotches before my clan sees me like this. Could you give me some piece of cloth I can work with while I tell you the story?"  
><strong><br>**  
><strong>O0o0o0<strong>

The rabbit introduced herself as Minu and began to explain. A month ago, the rabbit's clan made a contract with a strange man in the new Sound Nation. The rabbits learned things about that man that was disturbing but since nobody listened to them, they fled. And as their spies told them, it was about time, as that's when the man seemed very interested by them. However, since their former ninja partner could summon them with scroll, he killed all whose names were on the contract also. The Hare Clan, as they call themself, were chased up to the border of the Fire Nation and they thought they were able to evade the ninjas chasing them. For a time, they were resting and healing their wounds. Because their chief had been among those killed, there was fighting among the group for leadership; another reason why they didn't seek help from the Fire Nation when needed, as some were fighting among themselves.

When she finished that part of the story, the rabbit had a bandage cloth wrapped around her chest and Kurenai had ripped part of her clothing to make some sort of skirt. When Shino finally arrived, Kurenai clone vanished and Minu give her a brief resume with a promise for detailed explications later.

Kurenai wanted to ask more questions but the bunny moved her ears and said, "My people are coming for me. If you don't mind, I will tell them what happened."

Kurenai understood the hidden message of those words. She made a discreet sign to Shino and Hinata, just in time before they saw some green flashes coming from the wood, two rabbits in solider uniforms stopping in front of them.

"Princess, are you alright? Did the humans hurt you?"

Hinata eye's got slightly bigger at this statement. She looked back at the bunny she was holding all day.

"Not at all. In fact, they save me and, at my request, retrieved our summoning scroll from the ninja who attacked us with those pesky moles. We definitely are lacking firepower if they could take it away from us so easily."

The two soldiers cheek seemed to have become a bit redder. Kurenai was impressed by the bunny's bluffing skills and was glad Naruto was asleep, so he couldn't ruin anything. Before the rabbit soldiers could speak, their princess continued.

"They have proved to me to be good and caring people. If our people want to survive, we need the protection of the Fire Nation. Our ancient pact partners have now vanished and we need to find a place to build our village once more. As a sign of peace and friendship, I have offered our summoning scroll to those ninjas in exchange of their protection."

Both soldiers rose up. "B-But, your Highness...

"SILENCE! I will deal with what remains of our council later. As for our people, I know in my heart they will understand my reasons and time will be able to prove to all of you that I'm right."

The rabbit soldiers looked at each other before bowing again. "As you wish, your Highness. Now, can you accompany us back to our people? They have been extremely worried."  
>"I will do so but before that, let me say thanks to my saviors."<p>

She turned to Kurenai. "Thank you again for taking care of our enemy for us and for everything else you've done for me. I, Minu, Princess of the Hare Clan, am in your debt."

She slightly bowed before going near the two hare soldiers. They took her hands and surrounded the three of them with a green chakra before disappearing in a flash._  
><em>  
><em>That's a use of wind type chakra I never saw before . Anyway, that little rabbit is a clever one, <em>thought Kurenai with a smile.

Kurenai then gave the summoning scroll to Shino and helped Hinata to her feet. The girl realized she could breathe normally and just seemed tired now. After doing the Dream Catcher jutsu a second time to the unconscious ninja, she then picked Naruto again and said, "We will start return to Konoha now. The rest is no longer our concerns."

Shino and Hinata had a lot of questions but they understood now wasn't the time. Shino however, risked saying something."I know I'm repeating myself but I would really appreciate a briefing of everything that had happen when I wasn't there."

I_ knew he would be sulking after this, _thought Kurenai.

She didn't answer him however; luckily, everyone's attention was on Naruto, who was muttering something about a bunny stealing his bowl of ramen in his sleep.  
><strong><br>**  
><strong>O0o0o<strong>

After giving the villagers chief a brief report of what had happened, they started off for home. Kurenai told her genins that they will go through the forest this time, jumping from tree to tree. And they won't stop this time, she warned them. By doing so, they will arrive by tomorrow morning. When they asked why, she told them she wanted Naruto's condition to be checked as soon as possible. She gave them food pills to be taken once they feel fatigued.

Once home, She told her genins to go rest for the day and vanished quickly. She headed straight to the Hokage Tower, Naruto in her arms. She was afraid he could wake up any moment now, her jutsu having worn off since her lack of sleep. After making a brief report, she went straight to the Hokage's room, asking for an audience. It took only a few minutes before she could see Sarutobi, but to her, it was like hours. She decided to do the Dream catcher jutsu a second time on Naruto while waiting. It will be less powerful now but she just needed a few minutes anyway.

Once the situation was explained to Sarutobi, they sent Naruto to the hospital. Kurenai wanted to supervise the interrogation of Minu, of the Hare clan. Since she also wanted to keep an eye on Naruto too, Kurenai made a Shadow Clone. Exhausted, she still went to the hospital while her clone went to the interrogation.

It was hard to summon an animal without making a contract but Konoha' ninja always been resourceful. Minu appeared and was glad to see Kurenai was there too.  
>Minu finally revealed to Kurenai what happened to Hinata. Even if she seemed calm, Kurenaï was consumed by guilt.<p>

"Minu, I am in your debt for this. For the life you saved, I really want to do something for you. How can I ever repay you?"  
>"Well, hmm... I may have something in mind."Kurenai could swear she saw the white bunny slightly blushing.<br>"Our clan never was the strongest to begin with in term of raw power. Our real strengths are our speed, extended hearing and combination attacks. And since I got interested in the young girl who was holding me, I was hoping if... you know..."  
>Kurenai raised a hand to stop her, as she understood what she wanted to ask."You don't need to say one more word. I'm pretty sure she will accept. But she is only a genin. You are sure that's the favor you wanted to ask?"<br>"I could sense she is very kind and understanding person. My clan needs someone like her right now to make a contract with. And since I cant -"

She stopped there, realizing she was able to say something she didn't want to. Kurenai understood it was something personal, making a sign to the others ninja observing them it was ok to not interrogate her on that matter.

Minu continued. "If you could also find a safe and hidden place so we could rebuild our village, we would appreciate a lot too"  
>The rest was concluded quickly both Minu and Kurenai's clone vanished once it was done, leaving to the other ninjas the rest of the work on that matter.<p>

**O0o0o**

Kurenai was in the hospital, next to a snoring Naruto. She received a package from the Hokage itself during her waiting time. It was a box containing seals on small pieces of paper. She recognized them as chakra sealing seals. There was also a notice with the package.

**If your genin go wild again, just put the seal on his forehead to suppress this chakra back. Be sure to rest first before reporting back to me.**

**Signed,**  
><strong>Sarutobi<strong>

Kurenai smiled. At least now, she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore. She placed a few seals in her pockets first and set the box next to her chair. Once her clone vanished, she released Naruto from her sleeping jutsu. He slowly opened his eyes... but shot up in the bed promptly.  
>"Huh! Where I am! Where-!- Kurenai sensei!"<p>

She put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "We are back to Konoha. How are you feeling Naruto?"

Naruto looked like he was about to cry. He looked down, not able to say a word. Kurenai then took the control of the conversation.

"I know you are feeling guilty. You are probably afraid of facing your comrades also. But Naruto, don't take the blame all to yourself. I was the one in charge, I decided of the course of actions. I'm as guilty as you for what happened..."

Naruto clinched his fists. "If I stayed by Hinata's side as you wanted, I could have prevent this! I should had taken this mission more seriously."

Kurenai didn't say a word. After a pause she told him, "The lessons we need the most are often the harshest one. I'm sure now you will do your best now so it should never happen again."  
>"I think that can't happen again now, Kurenai-sensei," Naruto said sadly, "I'm sure Hinata and Shino hate me. I almost let Hinata die. I don't think I'll ever be able to face her again."<p>

Kurenai then something Naruto didn't expect: she hugged him. While doing so, she told him, "I won't give up on you Naruto, even though I know what happened. If I'm able of doing so, don't you think your teammates, your _friends_, could do the same?"

Naruto cried in her arms, something new for him. When Naruto calmed down, she told him, "I'm sure they will understand so give them a chance, please. "

She also told him something else, something she asked the Third Hokage if she had the right to do so."I want you to come live in my house for a few days, and in time we'll settle everything. Please Naruto, let me take of you until then. "

Naruto nodded, very, very slowly. He didn't know what to say, or think, but he didn't have the strength to resist her pleading look...

**END OF CHAPTER**


	5. Chapter 5 Cant Sleep

**Disclaimer:**

_The roses are red,_

_the violets are blue,_

_ I do not own Naruto_

_And neither do you!_

**Authors Notes:**

Im sorry it took so look to update the chapter. Real life have been busy lately. I wasnt able to introduce the change I wanted to make, I realized I should go slowly there, better to not rush anything.

By the way, **GOOD** **reviews increase my writting speed**... So if you want this story to be updated sooner, make reviews ;)

**The Bug, The Fox and The Hare / Chapter FIVE**

Kurenai was tired but the energy pill was still in effect. Half-asleep, she showed Naruto around her house before making them some warm milk with honey. What she didn't tell Naruto, is that she slipped a narcotic she had in it.

Though he was already near-asleep, Kurenai didn't want him waking up in the middle of the night and panicking at his unfamiliar surroundings. He didn't move from his new bed in her spare bedroom, looking sad as always. He did smile faintly and thanked her for the milk however.

That narcotic was one of the few thing to be able to counter the effect of the energy pill and soon, both of them were asleep in their respective beds.

**O0o0o0**

Shino and Hinata however, stayed up for a few hours before going to sleep.

Knowing better then asking Hinata what happened in her worried and tired state, Shino instead searching for answers in his family private library. Surely, if Naruto had some sort of unusual Bloodline Limit or Chakra, as Shino suspected, he would be able to find proof of it. However, Shino soon found himself on a wild goose chase; there was no history of anyone with the name Uzumaki in his family's libraries.

Meanwhile, after a few hours tossing and turning, Hinata sat up in her bed. Her mind was buzzing too much for her to sleep. Sighing, she reached under her bed and into a tear on the underside of her mattress that was hidden by the mattress cover and pulled out her diary. Writing down her confused thoughts and feeling helped sort them all out, and Hinata calmed down. Then she got up and put on her sandals.

During her writing, Hinata had decided to go and get Naruto a get-well gift. It would be polite and would be a good way of telling him that his friends and team cared. That...she cared. Waving off the last bit, Hinata went out.

When she came back, her younger sister was waiting for her with a smile. She helped Hinata bringing her bags in the house while asking how went their first Rank C mission:

"We succeeded in our objectives but... something came up."

Seeing the expression of her sister's face, Hanabi didn't insist. Hinata noted that Hanabi was being friendly and sweet with her_. _

_Father must not be home_, Hinata thought._ Otherwise, sister wouldn't be spending time with me._

Hinata told Hanabi the parts of her mission she was willing to tell, like how she learned how to walk on trees and such, and how they found a bunny (the two girls both agreed that was the best part). Then Hinata heard Hanabi's stomach rumble.

Hinata grinned as the little girl blushed. "Maybe I should make us a little something sweet?" she asked playfully. Hanabi nodded eagerly.

_Maybe I can make something for Naruto too__, Hinata thought happily as she started for the kitchen_

_However, Hanabi stopped her just as they were passing the garden. It had belonged to their Mother and she had left it to her girls when she passed away. Their father hired a professional gardener to tend exclusively to it. However, when the gardener discovered the girls' interest in it, he showed them how they could tend to it, if they so wished._

_After carefully watering the flowers and shrubs, Hinata and Hanabi paid their respects to the small shrine dedicated to their mother at the garden's center._

Feeling a sort of spiritual peace in her center, Hinata went on to the kitchen. Breakfast was already over, so the cook was happy to let Hinata use the kitchen; though he did keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't use salt in place of sugar like last time. After she put what she prepared to bake in the oven and sat to wait, however, her eyes were beginning to close by themselves...

When she woke up, Hinata realize she was on her bed. As she looked around, she saw on her desk, a handkerchief closed with a big blue ribbon. As she approached, she saw the note beside it:

**_Little Mistress, I hope you will forgive me but I asked the butler to discreetly put you in your room, as you had fallen asleep in my kitchen. I have put the glazing on the cookies_****_ and I also took the liberty of eating one of them. I assure you they taste wonderful._**

**_If you need anything else, I'm at your service_**_**,**_

_**The Cook**_

Hinata chuckled... but in the same time, she was sad. She didn't want to be a burden for him; if Father found out that the cook allowed her to work in the kitchen; let allow fall asleep in it, he'd be fired.

"Hinata!"

It was Hinabi, knocking at the door.

"You got a phone call from your Sensei."

**O0o0o**

As for Shino, as thorough he being in his investigation, he was still simply curious and frustrated. He ate a late breakfast with his mother and refreshed himself. He went after that to the public library of the Hokage Tower, really hoping to figure out what happened during their mission.

Even if it was a public library available to every Konoha ninja, there was still security points. Even if he found some interesting information about chakra detection, there was surprisingly little information about the Uzumaki Clan, if there was such a thing.

Then, the boy noticed something. Going to the librarian, Shino asked to see Konoha genealogy documents. The more he searched about it, the more it became apparent that every person's genealogy was carefully documented and made public information; after all, it would make it all the easier to keep track of bloodlines and clans for arranged marriages and such. However, when it came to Naruto, he couldn't dig up anything, not even a name. He then searched on what he knew about Naruto... he found some basic information about the shadow clones but nothing he didn't see by himself...

_I don't think I'm looking at this from the proper perspective,_thought the young boy.

Sighing, Shino redoubled his efforts. Finally, he found something in an old and tattered book about the history of Konoha's founding. A passage on the First Lord's wife read: "She was of the ancient Uzumaki, a clan blessed with longevity and resilience." Nothing more however...

_Hummm..._

Shino then begin to think intensively. Maybe Naruto is a blood descendant of the First Lord and his sole heir. A rival of the Third Lord could have removed all proof of Naruto's bloodline so that when the Third steps down, Naruto will not be able to be able to inherit the title by virtue of blood; the boy has the name Uzumaki, but that is worth nothing without proof that he is the First's blood descendant.

Shino knew better then putting all his eggs in this theory however. It was a puzzle that had too many missing pieces. But at least, he was glad by the product of his search. At least he discovered that whatever happened during their missions WAS linked with Naruto.

He wanted to ask his mother about it but the energy pill effect was beginning to lift off so he went directly home and got some sleep. His mother woke him up at the end of the afternoon, once she received a call from Kurenai.

**O0o0o0**

Kurenai was awoken by a strong hand on her head. With a jump, she opened her eyes; it was Asuma.

Sighing, she looked at the alarm clock.

_Well I slept enough. Anymore and its gonna ruin my night._

She was still feeling groggy from the narcotic she took but tried to smile at Azuma. She sat up, whispering, "It's rude to break into anyone's house; breaking into a ninja's could be fatal."

Asuma smiled back at her. "You know you love it when I do."

"Shhh," Kurenai shushed him, placing a finger to his lips. "Don't be too loud. Naruto's still asleep, and I want him to get plenty of rest."  
>"What are you talking about?" Though he tried to hide it, Kurenai could tell that he was forcing his smile to stay on his face.<br>Kurenai cocked her head to the side. "Our mission wasn't a total success. I've give you all the details later, but I will tell you that we were lucky we all came back in one piece."  
>"Hold on, hold on... You're telling me that because of a difficult mission, Naruto is staying with you?"<p>

Kurenai was surprised by Asuma's words. Even if he was trying to hide it, his tone and eyes betrayed that he was upset. She decided that it would be better to let him tell her then accuse him outright. "Are you upset?" she asked, acting neither serious or prying, "how come?"  
>Azuma gave a chuckle that didn't sound very genuine. "I'm just wondering if I should go blond. I mean, that kid was with you for a month and he already staying with you. Even Konohamaru didn't get that privilege."<p>

Kurenai could detect his anger miles away so she decided to nib the issue at the bud. "Listen, this isn't the time to talk about this now. How about we get together later at your place, and we can talk about it then? Find a babysitter for Konohomaru in the meantime.  
>"Fine, fine," Asuma said, only a little curtly. "Well then, I will be going, see you later."<p>

He was smiling but Kurenai could read others with just a glance. A blessing and a curse...  
>The situation had woken Kurenai up completely.<br>_I hope this idea will work..._  
>She phoned Shino and Hinata, asking them to come at her house immediately. Then she decided to go to Naruto's room and cast the Angellic Illusion: Dream Catcher jutsu on him again, to make sure he wouldn't woke up before her plan is ready.<p>

Once Shino and Hinata was there, she was surprised to see Hinata having two packages with her.  
>" What is that Hinata?"<br>Hinata blushed deeply. "I-I... I just thought I should make some cookies for us and sharing them together.  
>"You mean for the whole Team 8? That's very nice of you!"<br>She knew she didn't need to worry about Hinata, her intuition was right on the spot again. Now for Shino.

"Shino, I will go straight to the point: you want to know what happen when you were gone right?"  
>Shino just nodded. She continued.<br>"Then enter please, I will explain everything."  
>Once the whole story was told, Shino looked even more puzzled, even for him.<br>"Is there something you would ask to ask Shino?"  
>He nodded before asking, "Does what happened that have a link with the Uzumaki clan bloodline?"<p>

_So he did some research... I should have expected that even tired, he would try to figure out..._

Kurenai faintly smiled. "In a way, yes. As you guess, there's a secret around Naruto that we aren't allowed to talk about it. In fact, there's a special law surrounding all this."  
>Both Hinata and Shino looked surprised. They didn't think something so big could be involved around Naruto!<p>

"I can't tell you what it is however... only Naruto can tell you his secret if he wants too. But I can help you making a report of what you saw first hand, that isn't against the rule. First, Hinata, you saw Naruto surrounded in a weird red chakra and Naruto was really angry. He even had a scary feral look, am I correct?"

Hinata nodded.

"And we all sensed a enormous killing intent coming from Naruto when he was in his state, even from far away." Their teacher turned to Shino. "Do you have a theory for this?"

"After all we just said, I have come to think the Uzumaki clan has a strange power that was strong but unpredictable. I think the power is based on emotions, as if I understand correctly, it stopped once his attention was taken away from the ninja. Sensei, can you confirm it?"  
>Kurenai smile. "I can just say the part about emotions is totally true. But do you know the trigger from it?"<br>Both genins remained silence, waiting for the rest.

_So Hinata doesn't remember,_ thought Kurenai, a bit surprised.

She told them without detours, "He thought Hinata was dead because of him."

Confusion seemed to be the invited guess today. Kurenai continued. "What you both didn't know was told to me by Minu at the Hokage tower this morning. She told me she saved your life Hinata. The poison you were victim should have kill you. Without her, you would be dead."

From the look of Hinata, she knew where her thoughts was heading so she added, "If Naruto and you were more attentive on mission, maybe this wouldn't have happened. However, its also was my decision to split the group, I'm as guilty, maybe even a bit more since I'm responsible for all of you. But you are genin of the Leaf. You all knew you would be risking your life eventually. I don't want any of you of thinking of taking the whole blame for this. It was a team mistake. I haven't been a Joounin for very long and its my first time having genins on my own. We all lacked preparations it seems."

She the put her hand on her genins' shoulders, with a nice warm smile. "Nobody is dead and we succeeded our mission. That's all that matters. I'm glad I'm part of Team 8 and you all should too. Lets do our best so it wont happen again."

She then rose up.

"Now, about Naruto... is he still your friend?"

Hinata and Shino nodded. "You shouldn't worry about Naruto's secret, he will tell you when ready. Naruto needs cheering from his friends right now. So I'm going to take you all to the restaurant tonight to celebrate the success of Team 8 first mission. I have something to attend first so I will come and get the two of you at your houses with Naruto later, ok?"

Hinata asked about her cookies. "You cooked them today right? Well, well! I will take only one for myself and you can bring them to the restaurant with us. The restaurant owner is a old friend of mine, he wont mind it so don't worry! I'm sure Naruto will be glad."

Once her genins left, she picked up the phone and called Asuma.

"Are you free right now?"  
>"Yeah, I found somone for Konohamaru."<br>"Then I'm coming."  
>She hanged up and go to Azuma house...<p>

**0O0o0**

Kurenai and Asume sat across from each other, both with their drinks already poured. Kurenai sensed she will have to take the initiative but before she could open her mouth, Azuma spoken.

"I'm sorry... it's just...you wanted things to go slow between us and now, Naruto is sleeping under your roof while Konohomaru doesn't even know we're together. You know how I wanted the three of us to make a family."

"I know Azuma but Naruto is badly hurt right now. As you said, he needs a mother figure and needs one even more then before. Are you jealous of him?"

Azuma tone rose up a bit as he spoke. "Oh c'mon, me, jealous of a genin? It's just it's already hard enough to see each other while we both have genins and now, with Naruto there, how are we supposed to celebrate our first anniversary together now?"

Kurenai was shocked...that was something she really didn't expect.

"You think today is our first anniversary?"

It was now Azuma who was surprised... and Kurenai didn't know is she should laugh at him being offended or not.

" I told you that I love you one year exactly the day you left for your mission. I thought that now that you came back we could doing it already but with-"  
>"<em>Don't fuck with me.<em>"

Azuma shut up immediately. Even as dense as he was, and even under the effect of alcohol, he could tell that something was wrong, _terribly_ _wrong._  
>"What did I say?" he asked.<p>

Kurenai didn't answer immediately. She really didn't want to bring this up but now, she was pissed. "Those words mean nothing to you. You told them as you gave flowers to every beautiful face."

Her angry eyes met Asuma's, and he could feel fire and lighting.  
>"I found your letters," she whispered softly, "the ones from the women you said the <em><strong>exact<strong>_ same thing to."

Kurenai felt dark pleasure from seeing Azuma face becoming paler. She went on.  
>"I know you weren't in a serious relationship before. You always been a womankiller, I knew that when we started dating. But you never directly lied to me. That's what I liked the most about you. When you told me that you wanted to create a family with me, I was really glad. I knew you were honest, from the dept of your heart...<p>

She put her glass on the table.

"But you didn't say _**marry**_ me. You never mentioned marriage. You avoided the subject a lot. Why? Because you are clumsy and you are still afraid of getting hitched to only one."

She looked away, now sad.  
>"I wanted to believe your promise when you said you were serious with me. As for me, when you told me we should start having a family, it was the day we should remember."<br>Asuma sighed, and said, very sheepishly, "I should have expected you knew..."  
>After a long while, he asked her, "When is Naruto supposed to leave?"<br>Kurenai said, with a menacing tone, "When he's ready."  
>Surprisingly, Azuma smiled and said, "Then I think you should adopt him for good. Let him stay with you."<p>

Kurenai thought she didn't hear right. Shocked, she asked. "Huh? What did you say?"

Asuma repeated. "Let him stay with you. I love you Kurenai and I think you are right, I was a fool. I do have Konohomaru living with me and honestly, I don't want you to think I'm doing this for him. I want you to rebuild your trust in me, little by little. I want you to understand that for me, there only room for one woman in my hearth and that is you. "

Asuma pause.

Kurenai sensed it was true... _he wasn't lying!_

She was too shocked to speak, so Asuma continued, "For that, I think we should take a break and start over. Having Naruto over would be a great experience to you as well and, honestly, it will be easier for me to resist seeing you again like we always did if he's there. I maintain my initial judgment: he need a mother figure. And I wont budge on this; until our genin become chuunin, I will prove to you that I'm honest with my feelings, not just my words."

He rose up. "If you let me, I will help you with Naruto also. I'm getting the hang off being called Uncle Asuma anyway. Speaking of which, I better go take Konohomaru off my Dad's hands now. He's the only one I found on such a short notice so I will take Konohomaru back from him as soon as possible. He is a busy man after all."

As Asuma headed to the exit. Kurenai hugged to him from behind. A few tears ended on his tactical vest.  
><em>You are such a wonderful idiot,<em> thought Kurenai.

Azuma said, "Don't worry, we will see each other again. Like in the beginning. But this time, I promise you there wont be any misunderstanding. I don't deserve to tell this Kurenai, but I love you and that is still true today. Now come on, you told me you had to go celebrate your success in your last mission with your genins. Don't make them wait and try to cheer up."

**O0o0o0**

It took a while for Kurenai to regain her composure. Once she did, she woke up Naruto and told him about the dinner with the rest of Team 8. He slowly begin to accept the idea and in no time, he was back to his true noisy self.

The more she looked at Naruto, the more the words of Azuma ringed in her. Yes, she will adopt Naruto, if he's ok with that.  
>Come to think of it, what if he refused?<p>

_I will find a way... I will ask Asuma tomorrow if he has a good idea._

All Team 8 had a great time that night... until Naruto ate Hinata cookies and started complimenting her. When she fainted, Kurenai could see Naruto's worries come back into his eyes.  
><em>So he will become a shiny prince in armor? That could be fun,<em> thought a drunk Kurenai.

Once they all went home, Naruto asked if he had to go home too. Kurenai told him to come again to his house tonight.

" I'm planning one last surprise tomorrow, just for you. But you will have to give me the time to prepare it ok? After that, you will return home as much as you want"

Naruto didn't understand... but he didn't mind since for him, it was only drunk talk.  
>Once home, she phoned Azuma in secret. He told her to not worry, he was already coming up with an idea...<p>

_Humm... that's a pretty good idea_, she thought, but then she realized something...  
>"Speaking with your father again, are you?"<p>

Asuma simply laugh and wished her good night. She wanted to say " I love you," but restrained herself.

_We both love each other... maybe I was the fool to not based my judgment on only that..._

From the window of her bedroom, she could see the starry sky. She sensed things were about to change around here and for the better.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	6. Chapter 6 Smoking Sensei

Disclaimer:I dont own Naruto and Im not making any profit for writting this fanfic.

Good reviews increase my writing speed so if you want me to post sooner, **make a review** :)

**Authors notes:**

Since I got a few reviews about it, I will tell a few points about my fanfic:

1- Theres **NEVER** going to be some Naru/Kurenaï going on. Kurenaï is not a pedophile, those kind of things are even worst then Naru/Sasu for me. So I dont want to do any of those...

2- I want to respect the original storyline as much as possible. So Kurenaï and Asuma are gonna be a couple later. Im not saying if Asuma will die or not however, I have not decided yet.

3- Im a Naru/Hina fan... I cant change my nature and even if theres is NOT going to be any lemons in my fanfic (they are still minors, for those who forgotten), there could be some slight romantic hint in the future, even if I dont plan for it to happen anytime soon... In fact, dont expect it for the next chapters, Im planning a lot of surprises already for Naruto characters, trust me on this ;)

Now, enjoy the reading! ^_^

**Oo0o0o  
><strong>

**The Bug, The Fox and The Hare, chapter SIX**

Naruto didn't like to see his teacher drunk but at the same time, they spend a great time last night. He realized that his teammates and teacher were worried about him and that he need to move on. Hinata, however, seemed still fragile about the incident... He couldn't believe she fainted like that!

_Hinata must have a weak constitution,_ Naruto thought. _I will have to become strong enough to protect her... In fact, I have to grow stronger, if I want to save those I care about and become Hokage!_

With this thought, he went to bed all fired up... which mean he had to cool down before able to sleep properly.

**O0o0o**

The next morning, Kurenai woke up early. She was planning to make a surprise for Naruto. First, the woman snuck out to his apartment and searched for a extra set of clothes, seeing as he didn't have one at her house. Once she had a clean set of the orange jumpsuit he always wore, as well as a few other articles of clothing (boxers, socks, undershirts, exedra), she went back to her own house. She waited for the boy to wake up, enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to the birds chipping outside her window.

When she heard Naruto going to the bathroom, she decided to start some bacon and eggs. The aroma attracted Naruto, who stalked in like a zombie when he came at in the kitchen with only his boxer-shorts on. Before he could say anything, Naruto stomach growled. Kurenaï chuckled. "Hope you slept well, Naruto! I brought a clean set of your clotches, it's on the table. Go change while I finish up breakfast. "

Naruto smiled. "Yes sensei...good morning to you too."

Naruto came back from his room and ate his breakfast like if he didn't eat for a whole week.

"Man, that was AWESOME ! I can't remember the last time I ate so well in the morning!"

Kurenaï smiled at this comment. "Thank you for the compliment Na-"

She stopped in the middle of her saying: Naruto let go a LOUD and DISGUSTING belch... "

Kurenai clutched her fork in the palm of her hand.

Naruto, unaware of the danger, added a layer to the insult, "And that's the sign that the tank is full !"

What Naruto saw next was Kurenai becoming a monster with a long tongue, covered in fur and with the SCARIEST red eyes he ever saw. The beast spoke in a low, guttural voice. _"NARUTO!"_

Naruto yelled like he was a 5 year old girl. Just as quickly as she changed in to a monster, Kurenaï shfited back to her old self. Shocked, he stared at Kurenaï, wondering what just happened. Kurenaï, with a cold smile, reprimanded him. "I suggest you don't belch like that in front of people. Its very rude and I might lose my patience next time... But I suppose it will never happen again; am I right?"

Naruto, sheepishly answered, "YES! I mean- I'm sorry Kurenaï sensei, I won't do it again, I promise!"

"Good boy," his teacher responded. "Now, since I did the dishes, you clean our plates. I will tell you what is your special surprise after that"

There was a knock at the door, and Kurenaï rose up to go answer it. While washing their plates VERY carefully, Naruto thought his sensei was good natured and caring but maybe he should improving his manners...before her patients snapped and then she snapped him. While he cleaned the plates, a voice rose up behind him, coming from the door Kurenai opened. One that he knew! Naruto turned around to see Konohamaru in front of Kurenaï with a man Naruto couldn't name. As Kurenaï turned around however, her cold glance told him to go back to his chore of cleaning the dishes. Gulping, Naruto quickly finished his task before joining the adults and Konohamaru to the kitchen table. Kurenaï thanked him for doing the dishes and seemed to be back to her caring self.

_I wonder what I did just saw... Was it the same Kurenaï that I knew?_ Naruto just couldn't figure out that she used a small genjutsu on him.

Konohamaru was delighted to see him and brought Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Naruto! Its good to see you! Uncle Asuma told me you're staying with Kurenaï sensei now, I was surprised!"

Naruto took a few seconds to analyze what he just heard.

He looked back and forth to the man sitting next to Konohamaru, his eyes widening. Before he could say anything, the man spoke.

"Hi there. My name is Sarutobi Asuma, nice to meet you Naruto."

Naruto just couldn't hold it anymore and rose up on his chair.

"YOU'RE THE OLD MAN SON? "

Asuma flinched, clearly annoyed by the screaming boy.

With a sigh, Kurenaï explained. "Yes Naruto... I have to go to Hinata's house for some special training with her. Because of that, I asked Asuma here to supervise special training for you this morning."

Naruto's opinion about Kurenaï was settled at this moment: _SHE WAS AWESOME!_

He had sparkle in his eyes while looking at Asuma:

"You mean gonna teach me some cool Hokage jutsu? Man, I can't believe it! YATA!"

Asuma cooled him off, quick, however. "Naruto, I just agreed to let you share the same training exercise as my team this morning. I promise you will like it, but its still a **team** training."

Naruto bubble popped insatiately. His answer to that was a simple, "Awwwwwwwwwww!"

Kurenaï rose from her chair, "Your hopes were too high Naruto, that's all. But don't worry, if Asuma said it will be fun, I'm sure he's telling the truth."

Asuma smiled at that comment. Then he rose up and soon followed the youngster. Naruto asked, "Konohamaru, are you gonna participate too in this training?

"Nah, boss. Asuma will drop me with Ebisu sensei this morning. Tonight, he's gonna go pick me back and-"

Asuma putted his hand on Konohamaru head, a finger in front of his mouth. "Shhhoouuu! Don't spoil the surprise Konohamaru!"

Naruto then smiled wickedly.

_There's maybe hope after all_, he thought.

**O0o0o**

Before Konohamaru was dropped out of the group, Kurenaï sensei explained she also asked Shino this morning and his Mother confirmed he will be at the training with Asuma's team, too. She leaved them at Hinata's house and Naruto was impress by the size. In fact, for him, it wasn't a house; it was a palace!

He didn't have the chance to see Hinata however. They already were on the move and heading to a training ground. He saw Shino and three other genins he recognized from the Ninja academy. There was this lazy guy called Shikamaru laying under a tree nearby, next to the fattest ninja Naruto ever seen. His name was Choji and when they arrived, he was telling a blond-haired girl to chill out. Naruto recognize the girl as one of the Sasuke fan club freak and an annoying one to boot.

"Senseï, you're late!" she complained.

Asuma just chuckled and greeted them. Shino was near an other tree, far enough from the other genins. He approached when he saw Naruto arrive. Naruto greeted him loudly, to which he responded, as usual, with a simple nod.

Shikamaru sighed before asking, "With Shino and Naruto, we're uneven. Sensei, you sure you want to do this?"

Asuma left the sports bag there early in the morning on the field, before coming to Kurenaï's. Only Naruto didn't know what was going to happen. Asuma smiled, "We don't need another player, Naruto can fill the gap for that."

Then , Asuma looked directly at Naruto, explaining. "The training I had in mind was Ultimate Freebie."

Naruto couldn't help but yell his disappointment.

Asuma had to explain. "That sport will improve your stamina, your throwing skills and if you play seriously, will be good for your teamwork as well. Beside Naruto, if you don't show any resolution in this, how a sensei would believe you have the patience and resolution to learn a new jutsu?"

Naruto grumbled and decided to ignore his sensei for a moment. He sensed that man was right but didn't want to show it.

Asuma explained what he had in mind, "For those who didn't know, Naruto has a jutsu called the Shadow Clone technique. He will use it to create the opposing team. Lets call it "Team Naruto". The team who scores 15 point wins. Naruto, show off the stuff: create 5 clones, please."

Once Naruto created the clones, one of them asked, "If we win, might we get a meal to Ichiraku ramen, Asuma-sensei?"

Ignoring the loud approval of all Narutos and Choji, he just answered with a smirk, "Team Naruto is at a serious disadvantage here. Prove me wrong and I might think about it next time."

As he expected, the clones were grinning their teeth and seemed prepared for a war. But he knew Shikamaru couldn't resist the urge to make battle strategy against the clones and soon, the clones were left behind in the score. They even begin to insult each other and playing solo. As a clone was raising a fist however, Asuma stepped between the clones, stopping their movement before they hit.

" All right, that's enough, violence is against the rules."

Those who didn't know Asuma very well were surprised by his speed. Azuma let go the clones and looked directly at the original Naruto. "Anger and impatience could led to the death of you and your squad when you lose sight of what's really important and start fighting amongst yourselves. If you want to win, you have to study the opponent, find their weakness and try to be witty. Got that, clones," said Asuma, finally looking at Team Naruto.

He stepped out of the field and, as expected, Team Naruto finally begin to catch on to their opponent. Team Naruto didn't won however but they were behind only by two points.

_If the match was more longer, they could definitely have won. Naruto's stamina is impressive, he's hardly out of breath... while Shikamaru and Ino definitely need to work-out,_ he thought.

After the match, Asuma could sense Naruto have getting closer of Shika and Choji somehow...well, at least until Naruto mentioned Choji's weight. After a while, Naruto stopped seeing stars and earned a other good lesson for today.

"Ok everyone, lets go to the hot spring now. It's sure it the spot to refresh ourselves after sweating a lot."

"I'm going to have to pass on that offer sensei," Ino said. "I promised my father to go help him with the flower shop once my training is finished."

"Suit yourself," Asuma responded, "I'm giving Team 9 a full day off tomorrow but I suggest you do some family training. See you at8 o'clockthe day after, at the Hokage tower for a mission."

After letting the girl go away, the boys headed to the hot spring. Azuma was glad that the group mixed well together somehow. Shino and Shikamaru seemed to respect each other while Choji and Naruto were having a passionate discussion about ramen flavors. Asuma was glad it went so well.

**O0o0o0**

After the bath, Asuma and Naruto left the others genins. Azuma had some chores to do and promised Naruto some ramen from Ichiraku before that, if he promised to follow without being grumpy. In fact, Asuma wanted to offer Naruto a gift for him. He tried going to the clothing shop with him but nothing seemed to interest the little boy. When he asked Naruto is favorite color, he answered orange.

_So I'm guessing he doesn't want a new set of clothes. Too bad, that orange jumpsuit is so extravagant__...and tacky__. Anyway, I will surely find something else later..._

Sighing, Asuma also thought it was time for him to go to his favorite weapon shop. When he took out his wrist blades, Naruto seemed interested.

He asked, "You battle with that?"

Glad to have finally is interest, Asuma answered, "Yep, I have to get them sharpened, though. I have to make a detour to a special shop for that."

"...what? You are too lazy to do it yourself? I sharpen my kunaï all the time!"

Asuma grinned. "But these are special blades," he explained. "They are called chakra blades. They absorb elemental property of your chakra and project them into the blade."

"What are you talking about, Smoking-sensei?"

Asuma sighed. _That kid sure isn't the sharpest sword. Did he sleep through during all his class in the ninja academy?_

" Then I will show you before we get there," he answered.

_And that might teach him some respect too,_ Asuma thought.

They left the streets and went to a open field. After assuring there was nobody there, he infused chakra in his blade and throw hit and a boulder on the ground. Not only it made the boulder explode but the knife also made a crater in the ground! Naruto was beyond impressed! After that, Asuma explained to Naruto all about his wind type nature and the basic of elemental property.

After all that, the boy asked with a big wide smile, "Sensei, Sensei! Can you teach me how to do that too?"

Asuma grinned. "You would have to discover what is the basic element of your chakra first before I do that. And even then, each elemental training is different. What I just showed you is my Wind type chakra doing and its the rarest along the 5 basic elemental chakra. But if you **_promise_** to not call me Smoking sensei anymore, I could make you discover what your basic elemental property is.

"Ok, I promise! I wont call you that anymore... Now, can you do it? C'mon, please!"

Asuma chuckled, "Ok, follow me, kid."

Asuma and a jittery Naruto finally arrived at the weapon store he wanted to go from the beginning:

**Jenkins & Roy Lee Armement Specialist**

Once they got inside, Naruto saw piles of boxes everywhere. There was a old man at the counter who greeted then with a wide grin:

" Asuma! I'm glad to see you! And you came with a youngsters too! Is he your genin?

"Not quite, old friend. But I made him a little promise. While your apprentice sharpens my weapons, could you go take a piece of chakra paper for him?

- Sure, I can do that. You're my favorite client after all. TOKU, he yelled, COME HERE!

From the door behind the counter appear a young man wearing a working jumpsuit, covered in soot. He took the blades the old man give him too and returned behind the shop without a word. The old men then pick a box near the counter and took out a few pieces of paper.

"There, kid! Just pick one and infuse your chakra into it. Look what happen when you do it."

The old one picked a piece with his other hand and the paper suddenly crumbled away in dust! He explained to a curious Naruto, "That's because my elemental chakra is Earth. I didn't train in any elemental jutsu however, I just like to show this little trick. If your Elemental property is Earth, when you will infuse your chakra into it, it will crumble like you saw. If its Lightening, it will wrinkle. For Wind, it will separate into two pieces. If its Fire, it will burn away. And finally, for Water, the paper will become soaking wet. Ok, now, you try."

Naruto quickly picked a piece of paper and concentrate. Suddenly, the paper separated into two pieces!

Both adults were surprised by the turn of event. The man at the counter was the first to react.

"Well, well! Wind type it is then! Asuma, would you mind if I take that kid back of the store? I want to show him the product I showed you last time. Could you watch the store for me a few minutes?"

Asuma just nodded. He was lost in his thoughts. _Hmm, so the kid uses wind chakra? I'll be the only man in the village that can teach him Wind Jutsu, so if I do this right, I'll score brownie points with Kurenai_!

Suddenly, he realized only once Naruto and the old man weren't no longer here that the old man words ringed a bell: he will try to sell his famous "product" to Naruto! He sighed.

_Well its a great gift for him anyway. If he likes it, I guess it cant be helped... _

**O0o0o**

Once behind the counter, Naruto saw a corridor with a few doors. The closest one was radiating with heat. They didn't enter it but the old man explained his forge was in there. When he opened the door of his storage, Naruto was amazed. There was all kinds of weapons in here. The old man explained.

"Those are just normal weapons, even if some are exotic. You see, my son was a genius in sealing jutsu and used them to make special weapons and armor. But once he pass away, there wasn't a way for me to be as great as him in his arts. But I did create a few pieces of my own and the one I want to show you is my greatest creation."

He passes a sword and at the back of the storage room, he showed something that disappointed Naruto: a pair of armored boots!

"Huh? What's so special about them?

With a grin, he answered: "I'm glad you asked! You see, every ninja learns to generate chakra from his feet to walk vertically and to walk on water. The adhesion process however is small however and few ninja train it further then that. Those boots however, enhance that same process and can create a sticking area made of chakra, making the opponent extremely vulnerable!"

Naruto looked at the boots more carefully. They were made entirely from metal on the outside, with a leather padding inside. Three metal straps on the front clipped and acted as the buttons to lock the things onto your feet. Instead of metal, the low heels had a flame decal rising up on them, and the most interesting part was that the toes narrowed into blades; you could mess someone up with your feet with these boots!

"Old man, I aren't saying those boots aren't cool, but blades on the foots? Isn't that a bit odd? And if I infuse a elemental chakra into those boots, wont they break?

"Once you train with them, you will learn how to use them effectively. And don't worry, they are immune to wind type chakra. See the flames pattern? I wanted to make them fireproof so I infused them with fire chakra. With Asuma's help, I also made them resistant to cutting and to wind type damage. This means combining wind type chakra with the elemental-metal protection of the boots are perfect for it, as well as fire chakra. And if you infuse enough chakra into the boots anyway, they will have a sticky protection all around them, blocking all weapon and the like."

While Naruto eyes began to glow, the man went on. " I wanted to make them for my grandson but it seem he wasn't gifted with a good chakra control. He found a sensei who would still train him to be strong in taijutsu however so it isn't bad. And they don't fit his new dressing style now anyway," he grumbled in a weird grin.

" I want them old man! They are so cool! But-" Naruto suddenly had a sad face. "-I don't have any money for that. They must be expensive..."

The old man smirked: "Then why don't you ask Asuma to lend you the money? And it exchange, if they become too small for you, just come back to see me and I will give you a new pair for free. Lets go see him together shall we?"

The old man didn't mention to Naruto however that it was the price that made Azuma reluctant to buy them at first...

**O0o0o0o**

Kurenaï was training Hinata near her house, sitting with Hanabi on a bench while Hinata was trying to call a member of the Hare Clan. Hinata did good on her first try, summoning a baby bunny. Hanabi was charmed by the little fellow and even Kurenaï had to admit it was extremely cute. She let them hug him for 5 minutes before she asked to resume the training. On the second try, Hinata summoned Minu, who was very glad to see Hinata again.

This time, the hare was wearing her ninja gear. Hanabi was impressed that Hinata could have grasped the basics of the summoning technique so quickly and Kurenaï sure didn't want to stomp on the increasing confidence she saw in Hinata eyes.

The truth of the matter was that the Hare Clan members are easier to summon due to their small size. The fact that they wanted her from the beginning surely helped a lot too.

But someone else arrived to spoil the moment.

The air itself seemed colder when Hiashi arrived. He gave Minu one contemptuous look, then turned to his daughter. "Summoning techniques are often used by lowly ninja who cant rely on their own strength," He said coldly. "However," he added, looking at Kurenaï in a way that could be taken as either mocking or accusingly, "if your _Sensei_ thinks that such tactics suit you, who am I, your _father_, to say otherwise?"

Kurenaï did her best to veil her emotions, but the man could see her anger when she replied, as politely as she could, "Of course I respect your say in Hinata's training. However, I think that it would be best for her to learn how to depend on those around her. A ninja's greatest strength is that of their teammates, after all."

He didn't change his facial features at all, but Hiashi's daughters could feel the air become still and dark. "An old saying," he responded. "Here's an older, much wiser one: Your Clan does not live to protect you. You live meant to protect it." He turned to Hinata. "Just to remind you Hinata, animals are still forbidden in our house. Hanabi, come with me, it's time for your training."

Losing her smile, Hanabi answered on a neutral tone, nodding. "Yes father, I'm coming"

Honestly, Kurenaï loathed that man.

When he finally was out of sight, Minu said was Kurenaï was thinking. "That man is a jerk. Don't listen to him."  
>Eyes widening, Hinata spoke up. "Minu, that was my father. Please consider that fact if you ever talk in his presence."<br>Minu then jumped on the girl head. "Ok, let's prove to him we can make a good team. First, what are your abilities? Your strong points?"  
>Since Hinata didn't answer right away, Kurenaï did it for her. "The Hyuuga clan specializes in melee combat and have a kekkai genkai called juykken. It's basically damaging chakra that can strike directly into the target organs. They also have the Byakugan, giving them a 360 degree vision and also allow them to project their eyesight very far away. It also enables them to see chakra points in a enemy and directly strike at those points."<p>

After listening to all that, Minu grinned. "Wow Hinata, you're a gold mine! Trust me, together, we will prove to your father that those who hold a contract with the Hare Clan are worthy of respect! First off, I want to see you in action. Kurenaï, can you put a defensive stance so Hianta can perform some kata?"

Kurenaï agreed but they would have to move elsewhere. Once in a training zone, Minu looked at Hinata's movements carefully and after a time, decided to introduce her to a basic jutsu from the Hare Clan: The Lucky Rabbit Foot technique.

"It's a jutsu that enhanced your speed," explained Minu. "With practice, it won't affect just affect your legs but your upper body as well. Basically, I have to be in contact with you and perform the technique. That's why I will have to be either on you're head or, why not, in the hood of your jacket in your back. I'm not the best in offensive jutsu anyway so let's start with that."

The rest of the morning was basically Minu training Hinata under the Kurenaï's surveillance. Once they stopped to rest and eat something, Hinata was still was trying to control that enhanced speed and fell over a lot.

_I guess it takes a lot of coordination,_ thought Kurenaï, _it can't be learned in one day. But I'm glad to see Hinata trying so hard. Minu really know how to motivate her._

Kurenaï left after they stopped for breakfast, she had things to prepare for tonight...

**END OF CHAPTER**


	7. Chapter 7

As Asuma predicted, Naruto and the salesman came up from back of the store with the boots. Once bought, Naruto was so excited he wanted to try them on right now. While putting the boots on, the shopkeeper explained to the boy how to clean them and give him a balm that would waterproof them.

"It's a special balm," he told Naruto and Asuma. "Just apply over the flame pattern on the heels and that will do. Don't forget to do it every week however, it's very important if you want them to last."

Once they left, Naruto couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. Asuma, knowing Kurenaï's plan, asked if Naruto wanted him to help him train to use his boots effectively for the rest of the afternoon. Naruto, of course, gladly accepted.

**O0o0o0o**

Kurenaï started to prepare her house in case Naruto decided to stay for good. And for that, she threw out the alcohol in her fridge, the last remaining clues that Asuma left like his cigarette packs in her living room and hid a few things in her room like her embarrassing photo albums. Once she finished with her cleaning (which took twice as long as she predicted), and was satisfied of the result, she ate a quick bite before go shopping for a few things. She wanted Naruto to experience a family dinner, something she was sure he never had never do before. For that, she bought a few family games in a toy store (the seller assured her they were popular) and borrowed a movie that she thought both Konohamaru and Naruto would like.

Once at home again, Kurenaï began to cook for tonight's party. She was almost finished when she heard a knock at the door. She could hear Naruto, Asuma, and Konohamaru's voices, and it sounded like they had a good time. She answered the door with a smile, but quickly lost it at the sight that greeted her; Naruto was covered in sweat and dirt. After taking that in, her ninja-training caused her to note a set of new, metal boots on his feet...

_What are those?_ she thought.

Noticing her glance, Asuma chuckled. "We stopped at my favorite weapon shop on the way home and Naruto fell in love with my friend's creation. We had a fun day full of discoveries, right Naruto?"

After that, Naruto went off telling how awesome a Sensei Asuma was (but not as awesome as Kurenaï) and about everything that happened today, from the Ultimate Frisbee match to the training with his new boots.

Kurenaï listened attentively and once Naruto stopped to catch his breath, she said, "Well, well! You sure had an interesting day! Please Naruto, go clean up before dinner."

While Naruto headed off to the bathroom, Konohamaru started setting up a videogame he brought to play with Naruto.

Seeing the two boys were occupied, Kurenaï leaned over and whispered to Asuma, "I know you said you'd help me but isn't that too much? I'm glad you promised Naruto you'd help him train in wind chakra training but-"

"I know what you are about to say," replied Asuma, "but even if that shop sells expensive items, they're worth it. He told me he wished his best artwork to be worn by someone from the Leaf village since his grandson didn't need them. Besides, the old man doesn't have a lot of clients; I try to give him good business."

"Then at least let me pay you back half of the price you bought them."

"Hey, c'mon! It's my money and I do what I want with it. Besides, once you see what Naruto can do with it, believe me, you will be amazed."

Before Kurenaï could question Asuma further, Konohamaru came back, asking if they were gonna eat soon, 'cause he was really hungry. When Naruto came back, the table was made and he saw they were having burgers and fries tonight! Joining the others, they all had a great time.

After dinner, they put on the movie, a ghost comedy. 10 minutes in it, Naruto had the willies! Apparently, the boy didn't like ghosts at all. Fortunately, Konohamaru distracted Naruto by a round on his latest videogame, a fighting game! Zoning out of the world around them, they fought each other until Konohamaru begin to doze off.

It was Asuma cue. "Alright, time to go now. Say goodnight Konohamaru."

After mumbling those words, Konohamaru fell asleep in Asuma arms. He smiled and looked at Kurenaï. "This kid's sleeps like a log. Once he goes down, nothing will wake him up. I should know; I dropped him down the stairs once."

After Asuma and Konohamaru left (Naruto had to pack Konohamaru videogames for them), Naruto begin to feel drowsy himself. Seeing that, Kurenaï make him go to sleep. Once she put the already half-asleep Naruto on his bed, he mumbled, "Thanks Mom..."

Kurenaï, embarrassed at first, realized Naruto wasn't aware of what he just said that. Leaving the room, she began to smile. Also tired, she went to bed soon after that.

**O0o0o0o**

Naruto woke up early the next morning. Looking around, he listened carefully.

...

Nothing. Good!

Moving as quietly as he could, Naruto snuck out of bed, got dressed, and sleeked out of his room and into the kitchen.

Nearly giggling to himself in childish glee, Naruto went to with is plan: he was going to make Kurenaï-sensei breakfast...in bed! He was just so clever sometimes.

He planned on eggs, but quickly changed his mind. Just as he was about to break the first egg open on the skillet, the smoke-alarm seemed to glow with light. Wondering if he was having an epiphany, Naruto's mind suddenly constructed a visual of him starting a fire, the alarm going of, and Kurenaï flying down the stairs, screaming "What happened?" He didn't even wanna find out what she'd say when she found out!

Putting everything away, Naruto instead made some toast with peanut butter and honey accompanied with a glass of milk, both for Sensei and for himself. After eating his share, Naruto set up Kurenaï's on a platter, as pretty and neat he could, and went into her room...

When he opened her door, Kurenaï wake up...and time stopped.

Having moved a lot during the night, her blanket were almost all gone and Naruto had a clear view of Kurenaï only wearing her underwear and a bra. The two was in a state of shock for a few seconds. Then Naruto gave her a nervous smile, set the platter on her drawer as quickly as he could (making a pot of flower fall over and break) and was out the door in a flash, shutting it behind him.

Thinking nervously, he ran to "his" room and was trying to pack his things when he heard Kurenaï's voice behind him, "Where are you going?"

Her voice was sweet but Naruto still was afraid to turn around, becoming really stiff. Gulping, he was waiting for his punishment when she said, "I'm not mad Naruto. You don't need to afraid."

Surprised, he slowly turned around. Kurenaï was there, already dressed and smiling. She let herself drop on his bed and pointed him to do the same. Still worried, he did, not looking in her eyes.

"I know you didn't do it on purpose. Did you really think I'd be so mad I'd make you leave?"

Naruto, a bit nervously, answered, "Well, maybe…wouldn't that be normal? I mean I've been staying here a long time now and that must be burdensome on you."

"If you really want to leave, I won't stop you… But honestly, having you around made things so lively."

She asked for him to look her in the eyes. "Now Naruto, I want to ask you something. You know that I live alone, and we both know that being alone sucks. Since I got no use for this spare bedroom, would you like to live with me?

Surprised at first, Naruto eyes became larger. But he then looked sad. "I'm not sure I should, I' just end up doing something that would make you hate me-"

Without warning, Kurenai's hand darted out and slapped Naruto across the face!

"Naruto," she said firmly as tears welled up in the boy's eyes, "stop saying you're not worthy. It's not true. People get into fight all the times and make up after that. It won't be any different. And besides, if you feel guilty, take it as the personal ethic and good manners lessons I wanted to teach you. That slap was your punishment for opening my room's door without knocking. Now, we can make up and move on. What do you say?"

Rubbing his stinging cheek, Naruto smiled. "Understood sensei!"

Chuckling, she then told him to unpack his things and that they'd need to go pick up his things at his house to move in with her. On the way back to Naruto's official new home, they met Hinata and Shino. Kurenai greeted her genins with a smile while Naruto yelled greetings and ran up to them.

"I'm glad to see Team 8 so cheerful in the morning. We were heading to my house," said Kurenaï, "I will tell you our next assignment there."

On the way home, Naruto listed of all great things that had happened since they last saw each other. Kurenaï interrupted Naruto a few times to mention points like the fact she didn't ask Asuma to buy those boots for him or the fact that Naruto living at her house doesn't mean he will be receiving any special treatment.

She was worried about Shino and Hinata's reaction… While Hinata seemed very glad for Naruto, she sensed, even if it was hard to see, that Shino was somewhat jealous. Kurenaï thought about it and realized he was maybe jealous of the special training both Hinata and Naruto did get, while he had none. Even if Kurenaï was seeing him as the strongest of the three genins (though Kurenaï wouldn't admit it in front of the others), she guessed it could be helped: Shino was feeling left out.

She realized in his case it would be difficult however: the Aburame clan kept their chakra to feed the bugs inside of them so they hardly have chakra left to learn other techniques, at least while they were genins. Kurenaï recalled the talk she had with Shino's father when it was announce she was his assigned sensei. When she asked about Shino's training, they explained all that to Kurenaï and told her to not worry about new techniques for Shino.

_If only Shino wasn't an Aburame,_ she thought sadly. _He has such a great mind and potential, if only he had chakra to spare..._

She suddenly stopped, in the middle of the street. Struck by a sudden idea, she looked back at Naruto and Shino until they realized their sensei wasn't following them.

Hinata was the first to ask, "Sensei, is there a problem?"

Grinning, Kurenaï excused herself, she explained she was lost in thought. Arriving at her house, she had to polish the idea she had in mind.

_It could actually work… But I have to ask Shino's father before doing so,_ thought Kurenaï, _Just in case._

They dropped Naruto's things in the house and Kurenai picked a few things before they stepped outside.

"Alright team, listen! We are going to do a special training exercise tomorrow. Shino, is your father home today?

Shino nodded: "He was lightly wounded during his last mission, he is resting at our house right now."

"Then follow me, I have something I need to ask him personally. You two," said Kurenaï while turning to Hinata and Naruto, "I'm giving you a day off for today. But I have something so ask of you Naruto."

She handed her house key to Naruto. "If you don't mind, could you return the movie I borrowed yesterday to the store? It's the one the closest to the ninja academy, you should know about it. And go make a copy of this key, you'll need it from now on. Now, let's go Shino."

She left her two other genins behind, Shino following her trail. With a weird look, Naruto looked at the key. Naruto asked Hinata, "Euh, Hinata? Where can I make copies of this key? "

Hinata couldn't look him in the eyes and begin twitching her fingers. "I-I know where we can do that. Can I-I show you the way? "

"Yeah," sighed Naruto, "it would be a great help for me, thanks… Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-Yes," she said, blushing even more. She couldn't help but thinking, _I'm alone with Naruto-kun! Maybe… Maybe we could make something else after that?_

Noticing Hinata becoming red as a tomato, Naruto putted her hand on her forehead, approaching himself from her face: "Are you sure? You looks like you're gonna faint again-"

And of course, that's what she did, falling right into his arms.

"What did I do?" Naruto said, wondering what someone does when a girl faints. Then he realized he had another problem. "Wait! Wake up; you still need to show me where to get a key!"

O0o0o0o

The Aburame clan was a powerful clan. They were now the second richest clan after the Hyuuga, having a special niche in Konoha as their best spies. Their bug techniques were also very effective in combat situation so few contested their role within the Konoha Village. Unlike the Hyuuga however, they remained modest and their home blended in with the rest of Konoha. Even inside, most of them weren't richly decorated. There were rumors about how they used that money, the less kind ones saying they needed to give huge dowries to people marrying someone from the Aburame Clan, to compensate the bugs within their bodies…but nobody would ever have the courage of saying that in front of a Aburame however.

Kurenaï asked Shino's mother for an audience with her husband in private. She waited in the living room until he came and greeted her. He had a bandage around his arms but seemed in no pain and, as far as she could tell, seemed at peace.

"Greetings to you Shibi… Are your injuries serious?

"Not at all Kurenaï-san. The doctors always are worry more than they should."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, for what brought me here."

She then had a long discussion with the man. She explained her idea, which his father was reluctant at first, especially when mentioning Naruto name. After a while however, he admitted her plan could actually work…however, he imposed a strict condition: a member of the Aburame Clan would be present at all times, since that training could affect the hive inside Shino.

_Fair enough. _Kurenaï was pleased it went so well.

Still worried, he still asked, "Are you sure it won't go bad?"

"That training technique requires shadow clones, I don't think there will be any problem. I also have special chakra seal given to me by the Hokage himself, in case the highly inappropriate happens. And honestly, I can't think of anybody else. There are not a lot of people that would accept doing that or have the stamina for it. It's also one in a lifetime chance, don't you think it's worth the try?"

After a while, Shibi finally nodded. " When do you want to start?" he asked.

"As you know, it does gonna be the Chuunin exams soon, so I might only give reading to Shino for the time being. I strongly believe all my genins have the potential to do the exam but, of all my genins, he is the one I have the highest hopes for."

Thanking Shino's father, she went to announce Shino the good news. She explained her plan to him and one eyebrow rose on his forehead.

"That's something very unusual for an Aburame. You really think I can do it? And does my father really agree about that? "

" I'm sure you can do it. And you really think I would have told you this without talking to your father first?"

She lowered herself to be at his level. " I'm less worried about you then I am for Hinata and Naruto. You have great potential within you Shino. Never doubt your own skills."

After a few second, Shino finally said, " Thank you sensei."

She sensed her words meant a lot for the young boy. After patting his shoulder, she wished him a nice day before going.

O0o0o0o

After finally recovered from fainting, Hinata felt ashamed. Naruto seemed so worried.

_He will think I'm weird… But what should I say? It's so awkward now… _

And indeed, it was. Naruto didn't know what to say after that and honestly, he thought it was for the best to just ignore what just happened. After a while, he tried to think of a diversion:

" So, hummm…do you train often at home?"

Hinata was glad to have a subject of discussion: " Y-Yes! We have daily exercise to attend early in the morning and have personal training every two days at my house."

He then grinned. "No wonders you're so strong then!"

To what Hinata cheek began to rose up. Because she didn't answer anything, he misunderstood and thought it would be better to shut up.

_Man,_ he thought, _I don't know what to do. Even if I compliment her, she doesn't go out of her shell. Maybe she's training too hard, that could explain she has such a weak constitution…_

Suddenly, he had an idea...after hearing his grumping stomach. With a large grin, he said, "Hey, I know! Let's go to Ichiraku ramen together, my treat! There's nothing better to give us back our energy! C'mon!"

Without waiting for her answer, he grabbed her and went to the Ichiraku ramen shop. They had done all the chores and it was near lunch time anyway…

Once there, they had a fateful encounter: all of Team 7 was there and they seemed to arguing about something. Naruto's happiness went down the drain; he didn't really want to meet Sakura and her "so-perfect" Sasuke. However, he decided to not run away so he gritted his teeth and went to greet them. Kiba was the first to notice them. While Sakura yelled to him to listen to her, he gave a loud greeting to Hinata and Naruto. Finally noticing them, Sakura greeted them politely while Sasuke just gave a small nod.

"Hi there, Sakura; you too Kiba. As for the other guy, I don't care…"

To which of course, Sakura warned him to chill out and to not address her precious Sasuke-kun like that. Naruto took a good look at Sasuke…

_That guy, thinking he's so strong. I'm sure I could beat him now_, _thanks to Smoking-Sensei gift…_

Sakura sighed, watching as Natuto glowered at Sasuke-kun. He was so _immature_!

"N-Naruto-kun, shouldn't we sit down?" Hinata asked attentive.

"Oh, you are right!" Naruto responded, shaken from his thoughts. Turning to the old man behind the counter, he greeted him loudly: "Yo! I will take a bowl of ramen with extra portion of beef today!" Thinking, he then added, "Uh, please?"

Hinata wondered what happened just now. Was Naruto bothered by Team Kakashi's presence? She sat down next to Sakura, so she could be between them and Naruto; maybe that would help keep his mind off them.

Soon, Team 7 went back to arguing. Naruto and Hinata couldn't help but overhear.

"No way, Sakura!" Kiba said defiantly, "Sasuke torched 'em, so he can pay for your new dress!"

Akamaru, who was resting on his head, yipped in agreement

Sakura chewed her food and swallowed before responding. " Sasuke-kun was enough of a gentleman to agree he would." She put emphasis this, flashing a smile towards her beloved team-mate, who just nodded, ever so slightly, in response. "But Kakashi-Sensei said you're responsible too! So you're gonna share the bill with him."

"What are you guys even talking about?" Naruto finally asked, his curiously getting the better of him.

"Oh," Sakura said, not realizing how loud they were being. "Kiba and Sasuke ruined my clothes on our latest mission," she explained, "so now they have to buy me replacements. Only Kiba's trying to wriggle out of it!"

Naruto looked at them with a weird look: "The mission's fee should easily replace any damaged outfit, why you want your teammates to pay for it?"

Sakura begin to blush… a lot. Chuckling, Kiba started to say something among those lines: " Well, when Sasuke torched 'em, we both got a nice view of-"

Sakura gripped down on Kiba's shoulder, crunching down so hard that his face twisted in pain.

"Compete that sentence and I won't stop at just kicking you where it counts like last time!" Sakura said savagely.

"I don't get it," Naruto said thickly, "what happe-" Then something in his head clicked in place. They saw Sakura naked! "Oh, you LUCKY DOG, Kiba! I wish I was-"

**_SMASH!_**

Naruto's world went black.

After recovering, Naruto found himself on the floor, head feeling like it was gonna explode. Sakura, Ayame, and even _Hinata_ were all glaring down at him, clearly disgusted with his antis! Gulping, he suggested, very sheepishly, "Uh, I guess I should apologize for not being very gentlemanly?"

Sakura scoffed at him and turned away, while Hinata sighed, face turning from anger to…sorrow, or something? Ghaa! He was never any good at identifying girls' emotions!

After that, he just shut up and stated to eat his ramen, carefully listening to Team 7's argument, vowing to keep his mouth shut

"Oh come on!" Kiba shouted. "Akamaru only pissed on your clothes. It was Sasuke who set them on fire!"

" I don't care, you are paying," Sakura responded flatly, "That dog is your responsibility. Since we went over our mission on the Land of Waves, your head has become way too big."

Grinning, he turned to Naruto and Hinata. "With good reason, too! Now there's a giant bridge in the land of wave named 'The Great Akamaru Bridge.' See, it turns out this Rank A mission was a breeze for Akamaru and me!" He puffed out his chest and grinned, his sharp teeth flashing.

Naruto almost choked on his food. "Class S?" Naruto stammered, dumbfounded. "How'd you get a mission like that?"

"The old man said it was only Rank C," Sasuke grunted, not even looking in Naruto's direction.

"Ah, man, I wish that happened with us," Naruto said. Then he winced, remembering how badly their first high-ranking mission went. "How did you guys do, anyway?" he asked slowly; privately, he hoped badly.

"Utter success!" Kiba said, pumping his arms. "You should have seen how baddass Akamaru and me were! There was this one freak had shark teeth and a sword the size of a tree!"

"No way!" Naruto whisper. He was feeling so jealous.

"Yeah," Kiba reassured him, glad that someone wanted to hear how great _he_ was, and not talk about Sasuke-kun. "And there was this dude that looked like a chick, and he had an Ice-jutsu. Me and Akamaru took 'em both on at once!"

"Dude..." Naruto gasped in awe.

"Hardly," Sasuke suddenly interjected.

"Who's telling the story, pretty boy?" Kiba demanded.

"If you're going to lie, and least make it believable," Sasuke said, a hint of disgust in his voice.

"Eh?" Naruto said, wonder fading from his eyes.

"Kakashi fought the swordsman by himself," Sasuke explained, more to Kiba then Naruto, "and the three of us all had to fight the Ice-release user...and they still got away."

"Hey!" Naruto said, looking at Kiba angrily, "what gives?"

While to boys continued their talk, Hinata suddenly found herself feeling very left out. She had hoped this would be a good way to get closer to Naruto...now, he was just hanging out with the boys.

"Hey, Hinata-san," Sakura said out of the blue. Without Hinata noticing, she moved herself and her bowl next to her.

Hinata jumped a little, not used to being addressed so polity outside of her home. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling left out," Sakura said, looking over as Naruto and Sasuke glowered at Kiba.

"It's nice that Naruto-kun is having a good time," Hinata responded softly.

"What's it like with him on your team anyway?" Sakura asked. "It must be hard. I mean, he's loud and rude, and he nearly failed in school-"

"N-No! It's not like that, " Hinata try to explain softly. " He always rescued me when I'm in trouble a- and…" the last words were almost a whisper: " He is stronger than you think."

Sakura looked wide-eyed for a moment, before saying, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked about your team-member that way."

After a pause, Sakura asked, "Say Hinata, would you want to come with us shopping? I could use other girl's advice."

Hinata was puzzled. " Huh? I don't understand, why do you need my advice?"

Sakura eyebrows went up. "What? You've never gone on a girl's shopping-session before?"

Hinata looked down in embarrassment. The only girl time she had was with her little sister.

Seeing Hinata's reaction, Sakura gave a kind smile. "Then I guess this will be your first time! I'm sure we will have fun!"

Suddenly remembering how she wanted to spend time with Naruto, Hinata tried to say something. "B-But Naruto and I-! W-we wanted to-"

Grinning, Sakura simply answered, "Don't worry, he can come along. We're gonna need a pack mule anyway!"

Turning to the boys, she announced Hinata and Naruto's sudden inclusion in the shopping session.

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Authors note:**

Sorry, I know its been a long time since my last posting. Read my profile to understand why...


	8. Chapter 8

I DONT OWN NARUTO OR HIS CHARACTERS. Im not making profits writting this also.

Sorry it tooked so long for me to update. I dont think that chapter was my best one but now, the Chuunin exams can FINALLY begin ! I was very impatient about it!

**I leaved Naruto boots abilities a secret for the chuunin exam arc, dont be too sad about it. "evil grin"**

(^-^)

Hinata was smiling brightly as she walked to her room. Sure, Father had reprehended her for being almost late for her trainning session, but that didn't change anything.

Her shopping session with Sakura had been much more fun than she had originally thought possible; in her bag was new a swimsuit. Sakura insisted that she try it on and show it to the boys. Though Hinata turned pink with embarrassment, everyone just complimented her; Naruto even seemed dumbstruck. Blushing, Hinata marveled that she hadn't fainted. Good thing Sakura was holding her hand, otherwise she was sure she would have!

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Naruto walked home surprised, confused, puzzled, and maybe dumbfounded (but he wasn't exactly sure what that last one meant, so he couldn't say for sure).

When he had proudly proclaimed that he was staying with Kurenaï, and that she was the coolest sensei in the universe, Sasuke just smiled and congratulated him… Naruto and Kiba wondered if the sky was going to fall! Sasuke was NEVER nice with anyone! And except for when that good-in-everything stuck-up succeded something, he almost never smile!

_I cant remember hearing Sasuke laugh either_, thought Naruto. _I wish he could have the same luck as me _**with his sensei,** thought Naruto. _But Kiba said that Sasuke goal is revenge, not happiness._

While Sakura made Sasuke help her with some menial task, Kiba told Naruto that even if both he and Sasuke thought going out together was a waste of time, Kiba was glad that Sasuke actually did care enough to do **_something_** with the rest of the team that didn't include training. He said he secretly hoped that Sasuke will become a pack member instead being a lone wolf. Naruto smiled to the thought.

_Even thought Sasuke have more admirers then I do,_ Naruto mused,_ it's true that he's always alone. I'm glad at least that Kiba seems to be close to him. I just hope he realizes in time that people care about him._

After that, he thought about Sakura's feelings for Sasuke but waved those thoughts aside quickly. He didn't want to think about her and her so-precious Sasuke, so instead, he thought about Hinata in her swimsuit.

_She can actually be pretty...it surprised me. But she's so shy and weird, I never know what's on her mind. And she's so fragile...If I was her father, I wouldn't have allowed her to be a ninja, even if she's strong._

Arriving home, he was welcomed by Kurenaï and with the sweet scent of homemade food. After a good meal, Kurenaï suggested he go to sleep early if he wanted to be in shape for next day training. She was glad to see him taking the initiative of washing the dishes before that.

**_The Next Morning…_**

Kurenaï training methods were never walks in the park, but today, they seemed even more demanding then usual. In fact, she had several goals in mind this morning…

First of all, she wanted to know what Naruto's new boots were capable of. Normally his taijutsu style was a bit messy and ungraceful. However, this morning, she saw her genin using more… acrobatic techniques then usual. While she appreciate the sight of his slightly improved taijutsu, she was way more surprised by the abilities of his boots.

Next, she wanted to know if any they had what it took to take the Chuunin exam. She tried to train them in resisting genjutsu and how to cancel the techniques. As she suspected, Shino mastered it in no time. Hinata was not bad, as she was also very capable in noticing some of her more subtle genjutsu. However, she wasn't able to become calm enough to cancel most of them. However, she was doing far better then Naruto, who was extremely weak against it. She said they'd have to quit for now and that she and Naruto would have to work on it later. When he protested, she smacked him on the head. THAT got him to shut up as they moved onto new exercises.

_Naruto will have to depend on his teammates when it come to genjutsu unfortunately... But with the Multiple Shadow Clone technique, a genjutsu users would have a hard time picking a target, so it's not that bad, _thought Kurenaï.

And finally, she tested their teamwork in various situations. As a result, she could say that their teamwork was acceptable but noticed that Naruto seemed overprotective over his teammates, exhausting himself and making mistakes because of it. And while Hinata's courage seemed to grow up a bit, she tended to rely on Naruto too much. While they were catching for their breaths, she detailed those facts to the team and when they started again, Kurenaï was glad to see the immediate progress.

_That kid may not be smart but at least he is determined,_ thought Kurenaï about Naruto. _As for Hinata, she seem a bit less weak-willed then before, it's interesting…_

Her attention was taken away by a messenger hawk, spinning in circle above them. And most of all, he was not landing to give a message.

_Humm… so we are asked to come at the Hokage Tower. If it's for what I think it is...well, I thought I had more time, _wondered the Jonin.

She then turned to her genins. "Listen up everyone. I will end the training for today. Shino, follow me, I will give you a list of books to check at theHokageTowerlibrary. Hinata, Naruto, I suggest you two train on your own for the rest of the morning."

" Kurenaï-sensei! C'mon, the training was getting good! Why do we have –?"

The look given by Kurenaï made Naruto's mouth shout. He then looked away and asked, "Then do you think Asuma sensei could teach us today?"

"Don't be so spoiled Naruto. Asuma has his own team of genins to teach. Just accept his kindness when it happens. Anyway, that reminds me that Hinata hasn't shown us her hidden card yet. Please, could you show us the Summoning technique," said Kurenaï, turning to Hinata.

Agreeing, she summoned Minu in a puff of smoke.

Naruto made a few steps back. "WHAT? It's that full-of-rabies furball! What the heck it is doing here!"

Minu sighed. "Someone like you would be slow enough not to know much of anything. Hinata is my pact partner now, you better get used to it."

While Naruto shouted, Shino ignored him and said, "I see. Hinata, congratulations for mastering that ninja technique. As for you, Princess Minu, please take care of us from now on."

Naruto was about to answer something but realized Shino turned his head in his direction, frowning his eyebrows, and made a subtle motion for Naruto to congratulation Hinata and stay polite. Still grumpy, he also replied, " Yeah, uh, good work Hinata and all. But, eh, Minu-san, don't bite me again please."

"Only if you stop the insults and don't touch me," answered Minu, looking away in a snobbish way.

Kurenai sighed. "I suggest Naruto you try to improve your teamwork with Hinata and Minu. It will be important in the future that you can you guys work together. Were gonna do a mission after lunch so let's meet up at The Hokage Tower after it."

_And it may takes weeks for those two to work together,_ thought Kurenai, seeing Naruto and Minu's dislike for each other.

Kurenaï and Shino went to theHokageTower, were Shino went to the library and Kurenaï went on to meet the Hokage.

O0o0o0o

On their way there, Kurenaï noticed a few ninjas from other countries. Looking at Shino from the corner of her eye, she saw that he was staring at the strangers.

" The Chuunin exam is near," said Shino.

Kurenaï smiled but didn't answer. He was right after all. She took the time to make a list of books for Shino before going to see the Hokage. When she arrived, Asuma was already there.

"So, you think our teams are ready?" asked Asuma.

"You will see," she simply answered.

Asuma grinned and both entered. There where already lots of people inside and for once, Kakashi was already there. Asuma, Kurenaï and him talked a little before it started.

When the Hokage asked if there was rookie genins the Jonins would like to subscribe, the three of them stepped forward and named their genins. As Kurenaï thought, there were surprised exclamations about it. Even more, Iruka, the academy professor, stepped forward, telling it was too soon for them to participate. After a small debate, the Hokage asked for silence and said there would be special preliminary exams for every rookie genin.

After that, Iruka simply said, "I believed in you so far. I hope I wasn't wrong," and left.

Asuma, who was behind her, said, "That guy will be surprised when it will be Naruto's turn to be tested. I'm surprised to see one of his old teachers at the academy care so much for him however."

"Yeah, you said it," answered the woman. " But I'm glad somehow."

"I am too."

Both returning, they saw that Kakashi followed them. Turning to Kurenaï, he asked, "May I speak to you for a second? "

Kurenaï turned to Asuma, he simply smiled and said, "I'm gonna give those permissions slip to my genins anyway. Tell the boy that I'm gonna be at your house tonight; bet he's gonna be thrilled."

Half smiling, she nodded.

_How perfect, I didn't even need to ask him_, thought Kurenaï.

Kakashi didn't wait for Asuma to left and asked, "I heard the rumors. So he lives at your house now?"

"Yes," simply answered Kurenaï.

"I'm surprised the council allowed that."

Kurenaï gaze began to wander. After a while, she finally answered. "I'm not allowed to have any other genins in the future. And, as every ninja, Naruto still has to pay the rent on his apartment. Its still his place legally, even if he don't live there anymore."

"Ah, I see now."

Kakashi asked, "And can I ask you the reason you did that? "

Kurenaï looked directly at Kakashi. "While we have a system for orphans in our village, that kid wasn't accepted anywhere. And youngsters need role models and rules to grow into healthy adults. I've come to understand that lately and, to be honest, Naruto needed those more then anybody. He is wild, rude and his personal life lacks any discipline. And I believe I'm the right person, as his sensei, to teach him what that means."

Kakashi paused for a moment. Then he raised his shoulders and said, "Then I guess Naruto is in good hands. I will take my leave now," and went off.

While looking at his back, Kurenaï thought about the discussion she just had with Kakashi…

_The Fourth Hokage was his teacher. Maybe he was hoping to get Naruto as a student_, wandered Kurenaï. _Yeah, I sense that is it. He probably could have made a good sensei for him too…probably._

O0O0O0O

"That's good Hinata, keep it up!"

Naruto was encouraging Hinata in her training to learn the Rabbit Foot technique. He proposed Hinata try to hit one of his Shadow Clones in a few times. Hinata began to fell less and it was more and more difficult for Naruto's clone to dodge. Finally, she managed to hit it, vanishing the clone in a puff of smoke!

"YATA! That's great! You succeeded! Congrats!"

He was about to run into Hinata to hug her but stopped very suddenly in his track, glancing the rabbit on Hinata's head in the eyes. One look and he knew she was gonna eat his face if he tried that. He tried to compose himself.

"A-Anyway, that's very cool! You succeeded in mastering that jutsu!"

"Not quite, it's just the first step," answered Minu.

The smiles faded from both genins as Minu went on. "Fleeing and crashing into the opponent with the Rabbit Foot technique are the only things that are gonna be possible at this level. But considering Hinata's bloodline, she might be able to use Jyukken at the same time. I want you to try that Hinata while we do the Rabbit Foot Technique. Hey, stupid," the rabbit added, pointing at Naruto, "can you summon a other Shadow Clone please?"

"The name is Naruto," he grumpily answered, making a other Shadow Clone appear. As Minu suspected, Hinata had difficulty concentrating on both her using the technique and her Jyukken at the same time. But with time, she was able to trip the opponent and while the clone was prone or even in mid-air falling, she managed to land a blow to the clone who disappeared.

"Very good," answered Minu with a smile. " Even if your not able to concentrate on both just yet, that's a good way to counter that."

Hinata and Naruto stomach grumbled.

Hearing that, Minu said, "Well let's end the training with that. Next time, you will have to try maintaining the technique in midair to do a leap attack. Oh, and thanks for the help…Naruto," said Minu with a side glance to Naruto before disappearing.

Very relieved that the rabbit was gone, Naruto sighed. "Man, I don't know why that rabbit hates me so much but it's not pleasant. Well anyway, I'm going, I'm hungry and-"

"Na-Naruto-kun," suddenly said Hinata, a bit louder then her usual self.

Surprised, Naruto asked, "What is it?"

Hinata blushed. "Do… Do you want to share my lunch? I- I'm not very hungry so I thought -"

Waving his hand, Naruto answered: "Nah, I have leftovers in the fridge in my house. And beside, you need to eat that lunch properly, you will need energy this afternoon for our mission and doing that with a empty stomach won't help at all. Anyway, see you later!"

Hinata couldn't say a other word before Naruto left. Hinata was a bit sad…

_Next time, maybe I should make a bigger lunch, just in case I could share it with Naruto… _

Oo0o0oO

Naruto closed the door and ran to theHokageTower. He wanted to be there as soon as possible and was very excited about doing a mission.

_I just hope it wont be one of those easy-peasy missions and that we could actually fight some bastards for a change_, he thought.

As he was imagining himself on top of a few bandits, beaten by him, he didn't think of slowing down as he rounded the corner of the alley. At the last moment, he saw a guy of his age with brown hair and tried to jump aside to prevent the impact. But to his surprise, the kid picked his leg and threw him behind him. Naruto ended hitting the ground on his head.

As Naruto was coughing the dirt that got in his mouth, the person he bumped into said, "If you don't want to eat dirt, next time, watch were your going... Loser"

Naruto then focused and looked at his attack, and then realize it as not only one person but three. They were all wearing grey with the same black-grey scarves and a strange headband with a symbol Naruto never saw before. The one who spoke to him was the most freaky, all wrapped up like a mummy, only showing one eye. **His sleeves of his straw raincoat were unusually long also.** The other two looked more normal (plain from Naruto's point of view) but they all looked at him with superior look and a unmasked dedain.

Naruto was angry now, glaring at the unmasked one who send him flying. "Hey, what did you do for, Punk? You wanna me to beat you that badly ?"

The brown-haired one spoke up. "Tssh, dream on kid! You are looking at the future chuunin from theSoundVillage. You couldn't beat us even in your wildest dreams. But if you want-"

The masked one extended his arm to stop the other boy to step forward: "It's not the time to play Zaku. Look at his headband; he's a genin from the Leaf so with chance, we will be able to kill him later... and legally."

The girl finally spoke. "And we're close to theHokageTower. We should behave properly. Let's go," said the girl before turning and walking away.

Naruto was surprised. _Chuunin? Sound Village? Kill me **legally**? What are they blabbering about_, was he thinking.

But realizing there were all going in the same direction as him, he decided to follow them. **He jumped on a tree to see watch them from afar but suddenly spotted Shino in the entrance, a book on his laps. He went to greet him. "Hey Shino! Did you see those stupid looking guys who just entered? **Those ninjas were from other village! Why are they come here for the first place? It's so...it's... Hey are you listening?"

Shino didn't look up from his book. He simply answered. "I didn't consider that ranting as a proper greeting so I wasn't sure if I should response or not."

"Oh, not you too," sighed Naruto. "Ok, ok, let's try this again: Hi again Shino! Now can you tell me why-"

Shino raised his hand while still looking at the book. "The Chuunin exams is coming near. It's the exam where genins from all village need to take in order to become Chuunin. That's the answer to all your later questions. Now please, let me read this book while we-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Naruto smiled widely and jumped around. "YATA! That means I can enter the Chuunin exam and become a Chuunin! Oh man, I can't wait! Everyone will have to acknowledge my strength and-"

Talking to himself a bit more, Naruto stopped only when Shino rose up and begin to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going," asked the blond.

"I'm bringing back my book in the library. I will be back in a moment."

When he came back, Shino realized that Naruto was looking down with a weird face. He went beside him and when he raised his head, Shino asked. "What's wrong? You seem down all of sudden..."

Lowering his head again, Naruto sigh and scratched his head: " Well... I'm not sure but I think I should apologize to you for interrupting your reading. I know I'm always bugging you, sorry about that."

After a while, Shino answered. "That expression is strangely fitting the relation between us Naruto. Indeed, most of the time, you are bugging me."

Naruto surprised, looked Shino directly.

"But," continued Shino, "as a member of the Abarume clan, I learned to appreciate the bugs and find good sides in everything else people find annoying or deranging. And while our personalities are directly opposite, I think we complete each other very well. I consider you as my fellow partner and comrade from the Leaf."

Eye widening, Naruto finally smiled again. Before he could answer to Shino, he noticed Shino turned his head so Naruto looked in the same direction. Coming from a road ahead, Kurenaï and Hinata were walking together. Rising, he turned a brief moment toward Shino before going toward Kurenaï and Hinata.

It turned out that they weren't doing a mission. They were doing THREE missions. And while they were all Rank D, Naruto still enjoyed them plenty.

"Good work you guys," Kureaï told them after the last mission. "Now, all of you, come close, I have something to give you."

She pulled out three pieces of paper from her pocket. "I recommended you three for the Chuunin exam and here's are your recommendations."

As Naruto wanted to jump and hug Kurenaï, she stepped aside and Naruto fallen on the ground.

" No familiarly Naruto," she said smiling. "But I'm glad to see you are enthusiastic toward this."

Sitting on the ground, Naruto was grinning. He showed the paper in his hand. "You let your guard down, senseï!"

Raising her eyebrows, she looked in her hands. Indeed, there was only two papers now!

Remembering what happened, she realized Naruto boots were awfully close and almost touched her hand...

_So that's how,_ thought Kurenaï, looking at Naruto boots.

Suddenly, Kurenaï begin to chuckle... the chuckle went louder, became a laugh and there was even tears in her eyes! The three genins were surprised by her reaction. Once she calmed down, she said: "Good one, Naruto, good one... I wasn't completely sure about it but now, I know you guys have what it takes to enter the Chuunin exam."

Looking at all her genins, she continued, "I'm proud of all of you! Now, just remember that if you want to take the Chuunin Exam, you have to do it all together, as a team. If one of you backs down, all member of the team have to back down also. That's the rule and it will be like that until the end of the exam. You will learn the rest by presenting yourself in 5 days at9:30. Be sure you are prepared and don't be late."

Stretching her arms, she finished by saying, "Well until the exam starts, you are all dismissed. No more missions also until the beginning of the exams so make sure you and then prepare yourselves as you see fit. Now let's go home Naruto, Asuma said he is gonna teach you tonight."

Naruto yelled joyfully and after waving a goodbye to his teammates, Naruto ran like crazy to the house. Shino and Hinata could clearly hear the sigh of Kurenaï sensei after Naruto passed aside her.

Shino turned to Hinata. "While I don't doubt of your abilities, do you think you are prepared enough to make the Chuunin Exams?"

Hinata then looked down, twitching her fingers. "To be honest, I'm not sure..."

Shino then replied, "Hinata, I trust Kurenaï's judgment. And if you don't think that she is right, then I will tell you that I feel the same. I bet Naruto feels the same way too. I think the only person in our team who feels that you are not ready to do this is you."

Then, as he walked away, he added, "And If you feel like giving up or not feel like doing it, personally, I won't make you feel bad about it. We are friends after all..."

Hinata knew Shino for a while now and she wasn't dumb. While he was clearly trying to cheer her on and to give her confidence in herself, he made her realize that everyone on Team 7 wished for her to make the Chuunin Exam. If she refuse to take the Exams, she would be betraying the team... But at the same time, he assured her he won't have grudge toward her if she decided to give up.

She smiled sadly after Shino left... _You are so nice and clever Shino. But I won't betray my teammates and give up_._ I don't want to return to my old self_...

The three genins returned home. While Hinata and Naruto trained after lunch, Shino went to his family private library, already searching information about the Chuunin Exam and thinking of how to use it at their advantage.

When Naruto went to his bed that night, he looked at the roof...

_I'm not telling_ _Kurenaï that I put Chakra in my boots by reflexes. Man, I'm sure glad that paper attached to my boots by accident!_

Naruto grinned to Kurenaï reaction and dreamed of Kurenaï reaction went he will become a Chuunin...

**END OF CHAPTER**

**_Author Message:_** I'm sorry it took so long to write it. As I said on my profile, my mother needed me and it was taking all my free time down (**and, as he said so himself, my Bata reader is a real flake sometimes LOL).**

**BUT ALSO, PLEASE, READ MY OTHER ENGLISH FANFIC THAT I POSTED!**

If you liked this fanfic, there's a good chance you like this one also. Its a Star Wars / Pokemon crossover and I believe its very good. Comments are making me more motivated so don't forget to post some too!


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